Amani Makare youth leader Kilifi County. Photo by Ben Okweingoti 
By Ben Okweingoti
Youths from the six coastal counties have issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), demanding full transparency in employment and tender award processes, amid allegations of corruption, tribalism, and exclusion of local communities.
Led by Kilifi youth leader Amani Mkare, the group accused KPA of biased hiring and promotions, claiming that unqualified individuals from outside the region were being favored while qualified local youths remained jobless.
“We are here today to bring our complaints to the public. We have credible information that there’s rampant corruption and impunity at KPA, and this must stop,” Mkare said during a press conference.
The youth leaders warned that if the KPA Managing Director, Captain William Ruto, fails to publicly release employment and contract records for the past two years, they will stage peaceful occupations of all KPA facilities in the region.
“For the last two years, job opportunities at the port have largely benefited youth from outside the coastal region, and tenders and promotions have not been fairly distributed. We demand accountability,” Mkare added.
He further revealed plans to petition the Auditor General and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to conduct a special audit into activities at the Mombasa and Lamu ports.
“We call on the Auditor General and the EACC to investigate the illegalities at the ports. The time for lip service is over—we want action,” he said.
Echoing his sentiments, Lamu youth leader Naghib Mohamed and Taita Taveta’s Humility Mwakumbao decried the continued exclusion of locals, women, and persons with disabilities from economic opportunities at the ports.
“We thank the government for constructing the Lamu port, but what is happening there is disheartening. It feels like a monument, not a development tool, because locals have neither jobs nor tenders. Let the government release the full list of port employees in both Mombasa and Lamu to expose the embedded tribalism,” Mohamed stated.
The youth leaders also called out coastal governors for failing to defend the interests of their constituents and urged President William Ruto to engage directly with young people from the region.
In a parting shot, they advised fellow youth to make informed choices in future elections, warning that failure to address their grievances would result in heightened civil resistance.
