Anxiety has gripped the logistics sector as the government quietly moves to revive a controversial directive forcing importers to use the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) for transit cargo, triggering threats of a nationwide strike.

The ghost of 2019 has returned to haunt the Mombasa-Nairobi highway. Transporters and business owners are up in arms over what they term a "backdoor" reintroduction of the mandatory rail haulage policy. The directive, which effectively compels cargo destined for Uganda, South Sudan, and the DRC to be cleared at the Naivasha Inland Container Depot (ICD) rather than Mombasa, threatens to decimate the road transport economy.

This is a high-stakes poker game between the state and the private sector. The "So What" is the livelihood of thousands of truck drivers, mechanics, and roadside businesses that depend on the flow of trucks along the Northern Corridor. If the trucks stop, the towns die.

The "New" Old Rule

While the government frames this as a measure to decongest the port and improve efficiency, the Transport Workers Union (TAWU) and the Kenya Transporters Association (KTA) see it as an illegal monopoly.

• The Directive: Prioritizing rail transfer to Naivasha for transit goods.
• The Impact: Trucks are left idle; businesses along the A109 highway face bankruptcy.
• The Legal Battle: A similar order was quashed by the High Court in 2020 for lacking public participation.

System Failure

Compounding the anger is the catastrophic failure of the KRA's customs systems.Recent upgrades to the Integrated Customs Management System (iCMS) left trucks stranded in queues stretching three kilometers in Mombasa. "We expected the system to be restored... but we could not transact," said clearing agent Roy Mwanthi. The state is using these "system delays" as a pretext to push cargo onto the rail, arguing that the SGR is the only way to clear the backlog.

The Strike Threat

TAWU has issued a clear ultimatum: if the "forced rail haulage" continues, they will paralyze the transport sector. "Any action by KRA... aimed at reviving forced rail haulage will trigger immediate, coordinated, and lawful industrial action," the union warned.

The government is walking a tightrope. It needs the SGR to pay for itself, but it cannot afford to kill the road transport sector to do it. As the standoff intensifies, the cost of doing business in East Africa hangs in the balance.