Long-distance truck drivers at Maungu Lorry Park wait to check in at a roadside station before resuming their journey to deliver cargo from the Port of Mombasa on September 29, 2022.
Hundreds of millions of shillings in taxpayer funds used to put up a parking yard for long-haul trucks in Maungu on the Northern Corridor seem to have gone to waste as the facility has remained underused more than nine years after its completion.
The Sh300 million facility, which has a holding capacity of 182 lorries, also hosts 24 business stalls, and 70 guest rooms and was estimated to generate about Sh3 million monthly in revenue.
However, according to officials at the Department of Trade, this is the same amount the county government collects annually on average, which is too little to derive any tangible benefits for taxpayers. According to revenue records from the department, the facility generated Sh2.5 million in 2022-2023 and Sh3.1 million in 2023-2024.
Landlocked markets
The officials revealed that, on average, 70 trucks use the facility daily, which is below the expected number of 182.
The Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA) had built the parking yard as part of efforts to address fatigue among long-distance truck drivers using the road, which is the busiest and most important transport route in East and Central Africa. It connects Kenya to landlocked markets in East Africa’s hinterland.
The lorry park, which was officially opened by then Deputy President William Ruto in 2015, was also meant to decongest Maungu town, a key stopover for road hauliers and which has seen its fair share of accidents.
The Nation has established that the facility, whose operation was handed over to the county government, remains disused yet lorries still park along the busy road in the congested town.
The county government collects parking fees and rent from buildings leased out to different traders who offer various services to the drivers who opt to spend their night in the town.
Traders who rent stalls inside the facility say the project, rather than open up new business opportunities for them, has instead forced them to incur huge losses.
Most of the stalls, lodges, and restaurants are closed, and the few that are open are empty.
The traders pay monthly rates of Sh20,000 for lodges, Sh3,000 for shops, and Sh5,000 for restaurants and offices.
"We have stayed without electricity for almost two months now. The county government has not paid the bill so it was disconnected," Ms Felister Akumu, a lodge operator, told Nation.
She explained that she was compelled to purchase a solar system on loan, whose monthly repayments she is unable to honour due to financial losses.
In addition, she now has to buy water because the borehole that used to supply the facility is no longer functional. To make matters worse, the facility's security is inadequate, as it remains unmanned for extended periods.
She said the drivers choose to stay in lodges outside the facility due to these challenges, as the rooms are not self-contained.
Ms Akumu added that her monthly earnings of Sh24,000 on average are insufficient to cover both business expenses and her family's needs.
"Sometimes I don't get customers at all. How will I pay my staff and supplies for the lodge and service my loans? Also, the toilets block every time," she added.
Ms Rose Mwachoki, another trader who owns a shop at the facility, said they are forced to close as early as 6pm due to security concerns.
"We cannot stock drinks or milk because of lack of electricity. The business opportunity is there, but these challenges make us incur losses," she said.
A driver who spoke to Nation said he preferred parking by the roadside as it was cheaper.
"We just pay the parking boys Sh50 the whole night but at the lorry park, we pay Sh100. It is cheaper out here," Mr Mohammed Musa, the driver, said.
The county’s Trade Executive, Ms Gertrude Shuwe, said the projected revenues were unrealistic considering the location of the lorry park.
She said they were looking into ways of improving the facility to entice the drivers to use it.
She admitted that the electricity was disconnected months ago due to a bill of Sh130,000.
"We have a problem with constant water supply because the borehole has a problem. Also, the facility generates very little revenue, so it is hard for the county government to keep on allocating funds to a facility that hardly generates revenue," she said.
Revenue streams
She added that some of the possibilities the county government was considering include turning the surrounding area into a market to tap into other revenue streams.
According to a report from the Trade Department for the financial year 2022-2023, the revenue collected from parking fees is insufficient to cover the total expenses, resulting in a significant shortfall.
It highlights the poor condition of the entrance road from the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, resulting in truck tyre punctures. It states the need for a water tank to store water during dry spells.
It also points out the high electricity bills incurred due to the lack of separate meters for the various businesses, leading to inflated costs and further straining the facility's finances. All these issues are yet to be addressed.
"The entrance requires urgent repairs to ensure safe and easy access for the heavy trucks that frequent the lorry park," Ms Shuwe said.
