Boon for over 7,000 port workers as KPA releases bonus

More than 7,000 Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) workers are celebrating the return of bonus, suspended for more than five years after failing to meet annual financial targets.

A section of workers said Tuesday that the bonus paid last Friday was good news to the port and will motivate them.

Led by Paul Abisa, Wycliffe Barasa, and Vera Maiyo, the workers said that the bonus was equivalent to each employee’s basic salary.

The lowest-paid dock workers at KPA were set to earn Sh40,700, while the highest-paid workers earn Sh97,000.

.

Keep Reading business

•  Trump imposes 10pc tariffs on Kenyan goods
•  Lack of written tenant-landlord agreements hampers tax collection Premium
•  New architects lobby president spells out agenda
•  Edible oil processors rekindle push to scrap import duty tax Premium
•  Geothermal still tops Kenya's energy mix despite output decline

KPA suspended the bonus before the Covid-19 pandemic after it struggled to achieve its annual targets amid wrangles between port management and the Dock Workers Union (DWU).

Abisa attributed the improved port performance to harmony between the KPA board of directors headed by Benjamin Tayari and management under Captain William Ruto.

"We are thankful for the bonus we received last Friday, which is equivalent to our monthly salaries. We thank the president, the KPA board, and management for the bonus,” he said.

“These achievements are courtesy of the management’s expertise, commitment, and visionary leadership… We also attribute the achievements to the synergy, shared vision, and collaboration between Ruto and Chairman Benjamin Tayari, who kept politics out of the port,” he said.

Abisa revealed that Mr Tayari and Capt Ruto successfully reduced political tensions at the port and workers were concentrating on production.

He noted that the KPA Managing Diretcor identified gaps, including improving industrial relations and buying modern equipment for the port, which are now bearing fruit.

“Today, the container terminal and other departments are working properly. The port of Mombasa and Lamu have modern equipment, and more ships are calling at the port of Mombasa,” he said.

Barasa noted the unity of the KPA board, management, and workers, creating a harmonious atmosphere at the facility.

“This time, things are working right at the port, and we can see the results. There is no politics in the port,” he said.

The workers voiced their support for the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Mombasa and the Naivasha SEZ in Nakuru, which recently received funding from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).