Wednesday, December
24, 2025 - Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, has revealed how
entrenched cartels blocked efforts to modernize the Port of Mombasa in the
1990s, chasing away potential investors from Singapore.
Speaking in an interview with journalist Alex Chamwada,
Mudavadi recounted that during his tenure as Finance Minister between 1993 and
1997, Kenya explored a partnership with Singapore aimed at elevating Mombasa’s
port to international standards.
He personally travelled to Singapore to negotiate the deal,
noting the country’s reputation for efficiency in port management.
“We were trying to get a partnership between the Port of
Singapore and the Port of Mombasa because the Singapore people are extremely
efficient in port management,” Mudavadi said.
“I went to Singapore, and I had time to negotiate with them.
I came with those people to Kenya.”
According to Mudavadi, the Singaporean team had agreed to
improve infrastructure and operations at the port.
However, their efforts were met with fierce resistance from
cartels who benefitted from rogue practices.
“When we brought these people to partner with the Port of
Mombasa, the cartels in Mombasa who did not want Mombasa to achieve
international standards fought and chased away the team from Singapore and
frustrated them,” he disclosed.
Mudavadi lamented that Kenya’s infrastructure challenges are
often self-inflicted, warning that inward-looking attitudes hinder growth.
“Kenya will not grow if we continue as an inward-looking
people.”
“We must get ourselves to see the examples, the developments
and the best practices that are taking place in other countries,” he said.
His remarks come as President William Ruto champions the
“Singapore Dream,” a vision to transform Kenya into a first-world economy.
Earlier this month, Ruto launched a Ksh5 trillion
Infrastructure Fund to support the goal, despite sharp criticism from the
opposition.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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