Nairobi — Parliament will, after all, have the final say on whether Mombasa port will be privatised or not, a House committee said on Thursday.

This is contrary to remarks attributed to Mr Solomon Kitungu, the Privatisation Commission of Kenya executive director, who on Monday said the agency would go ahead with the programme despite opposition from other parties, including the giant Dock Workers' Union.

After being briefed on progress regarding privatisation of the port, committee chairman Chris Okemo said it was only after Parliament was satisfied about the proposal that the process would proceed.

"We understand that once the port is privatised the assets will remain the property of the government while operations will be carried out privately. But once proposals are complete they will have to go through the Finance Committee for perusal and Parliament for approval," he said.

Mr Okemo was speaking at the port, where members of his team were being briefed by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) management on the privatisation.

The comments seem to contradict perception among some Kenyans that it is the Privatisation Commission of Kenya that will decide whether the port is sold to private investors.

On Monday, Mr Kitungu said the commission would go on with its mandate despite strong opposition from the dockers' union and some local leaders.4,000 jobs

"We are still in the infant stage of this process and there is an opportunity to share more information and develop consensus," said Mr Kitungu at Bandari College.

His comments did not go down well with the union, with members fearing losing more than 4,000 jobs when the port is privatised. They vowed to go on strike if the process is not halted.

Berths 11-14 will be privatised, according to a Cabinet plan approved in December last year.

KPA boss James Mulewa said they were seeking an expert to advise on the best way of running the port after the four berths are privatised.