Nairobi — Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir on Tuesday held talks with port stakeholders after President William Ruto's directive on reverting port services back to the coastal city.

The Mombasa Governor welcomed the move saying it is a positive step towards reviving the economy of the region.

"I was pleased to find that there has been progress in implementing the President's directive but noted there needs to be a concerted effort by the Kenya Ports Authority to limit excess bureaucracy and red tape that is hampering businesspeople from working," he said in a statement.

The roundtable discussions included stakeholders from the Clearing and Forwarding Association, the Kenya Transporters Association, and the Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association.

In his first Presidential address, President Ruto returned the clearance office to Mombasa, canceling his predecessor's initiative.

He said thousands of people had lost jobs after the government made it mandatory to ferry all goods to Nairobi and other hinterlands through the Standard Gauge Railway.

Former President, Uhuru Kenyatta had relocated the clearance office for South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda from Mombasa to Naivasha 'to minimize the long distance for transporters and ensure quick facilitation of their goods.'

Nassir (then Mvita MP) joined freight handlers in holding weekly protests and petitioning Parliament as they complained that Uhuru's policy restricted road transporters to use the railway, half loads while maintaining the previous fees, making it more expensive.