A large number of Port workers who depended on the Lucrative Port of Kismayu for their daily income are now now left in dire straits following the reduction of large cargo shipments docking at the Port of Kismayu.
The Port workers are now left in a state of limbo unaware of what to do and where to draw their living as they are now forced to stare at the empty Port of Kismayu with little or no ships at the docks owing to the high tides and the current waves of the ocean waters that are rendering many shipment carriers unable to transport cargo on the waters and dock in the Port of Kismayu.
Due to the high water current and the massive high tides being currently witnessed at the sea waters which began on June this year, only high capacity and strong ships can make to transport large cargo shipments on the Somali waters.
A large number of Kismayu people depend heavily on the port of Kismayu which receives large container shipments and cargos from Turkey, United Arab Emirates, China among other countries across the world.
Osman Hareed who is a Kismayu port worker involved in loading and unloading of cargo from ships said he was severely affected by the job losses at the port which made him unable to fend for his large family adding that he used to get 500,000 Somali shillings (20 USD) on daily basis from the port work but now left with nothing.
“I used to come every day in the morning and used to make a good daily wage of 20 Dollars which greatly helped my large family. We heavily depended on the Port work but now am left to wonder where i can get something for my family”, Said Osman Harred
The jobs losses bites across many other Port workers at the Port of Kismayo. Many are now counting losses and unable to fetch an income unlike before.
” I used to get my children school fees and daily bread from the daily wage I used to earn from this large port. But now things are different and I have no other means of getting even a Dollars. We are just hoping this would end soon so as to resume our daily work at the port ” , Said Abdullahi Abdi Yarrow.
The ocean waters has been experiencing high tides and huge waves sine June 2020 and its believed to last until early October. Only few ships make to the Port of Kismayu unlike before where the Port used to receive large number of ships and creating job opportunities for a large number of people.
BY OSMAN HUSSEIN ALI
