AU High Representative for Infrastructure Raila Odinga today today  held a meeting with the organisers of the anti SGR weekly protests fast action business movement.

The  meeting which took place at Raila's residence in Nyali was also attended by rights groups, Haki Africa and Muhuri.

According to a source who was present at the meeting,  they resolved that there should be free movement of cargo and that the SGR should compete with local trucks.

"It was also resolved that no shipping line should interfere with the local clearing and forwarding and warehousing business as per the Merchant Shipping Act and that all cargo should be cleared in Mombasa and not Nairobi" said the source.

 Also present at the meeting  were Mvita MP Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir.

At the end of the meeting they resolved that Raila will address a media briefing tomorrow in Nairobi to avert  more demonstrations and seek for a permanent solution which will not sabotage the county's economy.

Raila assured the transport sector the government will have a round table to iron out the teething problems  and chart the way forward.

He told the forum the government will engage them to avert future demonstrations in the coast region.

Fast action business movement together with the rights groups have been organising the protests every Monday to put pressure on the government to revoke an order requesting all cargo from the Mombasa port be transported by the standard gauge railway (SGR).

According to a study done by the University of Nairobi School of Business and published last month, Mombasa has already lost Sh17.4 billion and 2,987 jobs equivalent to 8.4 per cent of its annual earnings since the implementation of government policies requiring mandatory transfer of most import cargo through the SGR.

Early this month, Mombasa leaders led by Governor Hassan Joho met with the Transport CS Jmaes Macharia and his Interior counterpart Fred Matiang'i over the issue where they announced that the order had been suspended.

"The suspension of the directive on compulsory cargo haulage from Mombasa via SGR is still in effect until we find solutions to the issues affecting our freight services. My colleague" said Matiang'i.

Truck drivers have however maintained that the directive has not been implemented.