Mombasa trucks parking fee rises in revenue drive

Commercial vehicles operating within Mombasa, including at Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) facilities, will starting today (Wednesday, May,15), pay a parking fee of Sh700, up from Sh600 as the county moves to increase its revenue collection.

In the new payment plan, KPA will collect revenues on behalf of the county government, easing coordination and helping to net more vehicles.

Before the deal with KPA, the county could not collect parking fees from more than 3,000 trucks operating within port and custom facilities.

The deal effectively ends long-running wrangles between the devolved unit and national government over the Mombasa port revenue sharing.

Garbage collection

Governor Abdulswamad Nassir's administration will also begin collecting fees on garbage collection from all vessels calling at the port of Mombasa beginning this week.

Last month, KPA issued a one-month notice to all truck operators and owners in the new payment shift. Kenya Transporters Association CEO Mercy Ireri said the county government had since addressed their concerns about the implementation.

“The problems we have been having including being clumped while on queue waiting to load or offload cargo at the port,” said Ms Ireri.

“We feel the deal has considered many issues considering you are now only allowed to pay once and use the voucher to move anywhere within Mombasa territory,” she added.

In the new parking fee notice, heavy and commercial vehicles including trucks associated with grain bulk handlers, container depots, and refineries will be subject to the new parking fees.

Collection of parking fees

"In light of this designation, the KPA will ensure the efficient and effective collection of parking fees from heavy and commercial vehicles operated within these areas," said KPA through a customer notice.

KPA will collect up to Sh200,000 per marine vessel in the waste management charges in line with Mombasa County government’s 2022/2023 Finance Act.

"The charge will be two (2) US dollars (about Sh260) per one hundred tonnes based on a ship's gross registered tonnage. The minimum charge on a ship shall be 200 (two hundred) United States dollars (about Sh26,000), and the maximum charge shall be 1,500 (one thousand five hundred) US dollars (about Sh200,000) for every seven days," said KPA.

But the county has exempted ships owned or operated by the government, KPA, authorised ferries, ships of less than five hundred gross registered tonnage, ships trading between ports in Kenya, dredgers, and vessels at the port.