Mombasa rail line back to normal
Jan 16, 2008
THE railway line connecting Uganda to the port of Mombasa whose route had been vandalised near Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, is back to normal, sources said on Wednesday.
By Mikaili Sseppuya
THE railway line connecting Uganda to the port of Mombasa whose route had been vandalised near Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, is back to normal, sources said on Wednesday.
The sources said long stretches of market stalls near the tracks had all been burnt, making the line impassable.
They also disclosed that fuel containers from Mombasa to Kampala had started loading.
The sources added that the Kenyan locomotives had been pulling wagons for Uganda to Busembatia in eastern Uganda but never took them back for reloading at the port due to the scarcity of fuel that has hit the country lately.
“The trains started working on Monday and are now operating normally enough.
“There is therefore no reason why prices of taxis which mostly use diesel should continue to be higher than usual,†the sources explained.
Other sources confirmed that there were enough reserves of fuel in the Kenya Oil Pipeline tanks in Eldoret to keep the country well-supplied.
“Of course, the fuel could not be moved during the violence because a fuel tank is a mobile bomb and few people would be ready to drive them given the road blocks at the time.
“On top of that, owners would not want to risk their trucks,†the sources asserted.
Meanwhile, trucks have started bringing cargo bound for Uganda from Mombasa port under the Kenyan Police escorts to the border posts, William Mtengo, the Kenya Ports Authority chief in Kampala, disclosed.
“The situation has now been normalised. Security is being provided by the appropriate agencies to cover them to Nairobi, Malaba and Tororo where transit traffic can be discharged,†Mtengo explained.
He added that much of the Kenyan bound cargo was being moved to cargo freight stations outside the port to reduce congestion.
“The abnormal congestion which was brought about by last week’s events when ships offloaded cargo and there were no trucks to take it away, will be reduced to normal in a week’s time,†Mtengo said.
He explained that the congestion at the port was due to Christmas holidays “but now almost everybody is back and the services are there in plenty.â€
THE railway line connecting Uganda to the port of Mombasa whose route had been vandalised near Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, is back to normal, sources said on Wednesday.
The sources said long stretches of market stalls near the tracks had all been burnt, making the line impassable.
They also disclosed that fuel containers from Mombasa to Kampala had started loading.
The sources added that the Kenyan locomotives had been pulling wagons for Uganda to Busembatia in eastern Uganda but never took them back for reloading at the port due to the scarcity of fuel that has hit the country lately.
“The trains started working on Monday and are now operating normally enough.
“There is therefore no reason why prices of taxis which mostly use diesel should continue to be higher than usual,†the sources explained.
Other sources confirmed that there were enough reserves of fuel in the Kenya Oil Pipeline tanks in Eldoret to keep the country well-supplied.
“Of course, the fuel could not be moved during the violence because a fuel tank is a mobile bomb and few people would be ready to drive them given the road blocks at the time.
“On top of that, owners would not want to risk their trucks,†the sources asserted.
Meanwhile, trucks have started bringing cargo bound for Uganda from Mombasa port under the Kenyan Police escorts to the border posts, William Mtengo, the Kenya Ports Authority chief in Kampala, disclosed.
“The situation has now been normalised. Security is being provided by the appropriate agencies to cover them to Nairobi, Malaba and Tororo where transit traffic can be discharged,†Mtengo explained.
He added that much of the Kenyan bound cargo was being moved to cargo freight stations outside the port to reduce congestion.
“The abnormal congestion which was brought about by last week’s events when ships offloaded cargo and there were no trucks to take it away, will be reduced to normal in a week’s time,†Mtengo said.
He explained that the congestion at the port was due to Christmas holidays “but now almost everybody is back and the services are there in plenty.â€