True to its threat, the heavy road transport drivers of Kenya embarked on a strike on Thursday which is reported to have paralysed business at the Port of Mombasa.
The drivers and conductors in the sector embarked on their action to protest against new directives by the government. The government failed to deal with them by Tuesday, so they rallied for the strike which they had openly said would be the case on Thursday.
They are protesting a government directive to retest their members at a cost they say is punitive as it places a heavy burden on drivers who are already on low pay.
The transporters along the Northern Corridor, from Mombasa at the coast to Malaba at the Ugandan border, parked their vehicles, disrupting the movement of cargo along the corridor.
Kenya Long Distance Truck Drivers Union Secretary, General Roman Waema, said: “We were disappointed by Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen calling a suspension of retesting without addressing pertinent issues.”
On Tuesday Murkomen suspended the retesting of drivers of commercial and public service vehicles in the country until September 1.
He said this would allow a multi-agency committee to address concerns raised by drivers.
At Mtito Andei, hundreds of trucks have been parked, with drivers promising to continue with the strike until the government addresses their issues.
Meanwhile, the representative body for Kenyan transporters has threatened legal action against companies yet to comply with the minimum wage laws for heavy commercial vehicle drivers.
In a statement, Kenya Transport Association chairman Newton Wang'oo said those paying below the minimum wage were not only in violation of the law but were also displaying a disregard for the rights and welfare of the transport workforce.
Wang'oo advised companies to begin the process of reviewing their employees' salaries to meet or exceed the minimum wage requirement.
