Mombasa County government has seen its dispute with importers of second-hand motor vehicles move to court. The business persons under the umbrella of Car Importers Association of Kenya are opposing the plan to move them from the central business district to Miritini.
According to the county government, the move will position them near the Mombasa standard gauge railway terminus.
However, the car dealers claim that they need to be near banks because they handle huge amounts of cash. Through lawyer Gikandi Ngibuini, they want the county under governor Hassan Ali Joho to allow them to do business in any place they feel is secure and profitable so long as they do not break the law.
They state that they were not consulted when making the decision to evacuate them from the central business district.
“No reason has been given by the county government for the denial of the licences, the association has not been given an opportunity to respond on the issue nor has the county carried out any public participation on the said relocation," reads their application as reported by Business Daily.
The importers of second-hand motor vehicles also want access to the county electronic licensing system for application and receiving of single business permits.