(MOMBASA) – A labour strike by casual workers at the Port of Mombasa has caused major disruptions to humanitarian shipments bound for South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with tonnes of essential goods now stranded due to the work stoppage.
The workers, mainly loaders at warehouses in the Shimanzi industrial zone, downed tools on Monday demanding higher pay and improved working conditions. Their action has halted operations at dozens of warehouses, leaving hundreds of trucks idle and humanitarian cargo stuck at the port.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has been among the worst affected. Its consignments of food and pharmaceutical supplies, urgently required in South Sudan and DRC, remain delayed due to the boycott.
By the end of the week, workers had not resumed duties, prolonging the impasse and deepening losses for logistics firms and aid agencies. According to port officials, over 1,000 labourers are participating in the strike, paralysing essential offloading services.
Warehouses have remained closed, while trucks carrying maize imported from Tanzania and tea from Kenya and other tea producing countries are now lined up at Mombasa waiting to be unloaded.
One of the affected firms, Express Shipping & Logistics (EA) Ltd, confirmed that 32 containers of humanitarian food supplies are currently stuck at the port. The company’s operations manager, Priscah Olieba, said they now face mounting demurrage charges and idle truck fees due to the disruptions.
“We have more than 10 trucks waiting to be offloaded. Other containers are still at the port, and we are now incurring extra storage costs. The free storage period expired on Thursday,” Olieba said.
According to Mombasa port rates, the cost of remarshalling a 20 foot container is $110 and $165 for a 40 foot container. In addition, daily storage charges stand at $30 for a 20 foot and $60 for a 40 foot container.
“From Thursday, we are being charged for remarshalling and demurrage because containers cannot be picked due to the strike. This will lead to significant financial losses for the company,” she added.
Transporters have also been affected. George Tairo, a truck operator from Tanzania, said three of his trucks loaded with maize have not been unloaded since Monday.
“This is reducing our turnaround time and cutting into our income. But we can only wait for the situation to be resolved,” Tairo said.
The striking workers are demanding that their pay for loading cargo be increased. They want the rate for a 25 kg bag raised from $0.06 (approx. SSP 276) to $0.12 (SSP 552), and a 50 kg bag from $0.10 (SSP 460) to $0.16 (SSP 736). They are also calling for better working conditions and an end to harassment from employers.
Their union leader, Oponyo Wawire, secretary general of the Kenya Shipping Clearing, Freight Logistics and Warehouses Workers Union, said negotiations with employers have so far failed to reach an agreement.
“We are not returning to work until our demands are met. The conditions are poor, and the wages are not fair for the work we do,” Wawire said.
Importers from landlocked countries such as South Sudan and the DRC rely heavily on Mombasa for goods in transit, particularly food aid, medicines and commercial imports. Delays at the port therefore have a direct effect on food security and humanitarian efforts in these regions.
South Sudanese aid agencies and government officials have not yet issued public statements, but local humanitarian actors have warned that any prolonged delay at the port could affect food distribution schedules in the coming weeks, especially for vulnerable populations in flood affected or conflict affected areas.
| Item | Current Rate (USD) | Current Rate (SSP) |
|---|---|---|
| Demurrage (20 ft/day) | $30 | SSP 138,000 |
| Demurrage (40 ft/day) | $60 | SSP 276,000 |
| Remarshalling (20 ft container) | $110 | SSP 506,000 |
| Remarshalling (40 ft container) | $165 | SSP 759,000 |
| Loader pay (25 kg bag – old) | $0.06 | SSP 276 |
| Loader pay (25 kg bag – new) | $0.12 | SSP 552 |
| Loader pay (50 kg bag – old) | $0.10 | SSP 460 |
| Loader pay (50 kg bag – new) | $0.16 | SSP 736 |
