FEATURE Importantport W hile the grain business has been transfixed by the ever-rising prices in 2008, the balance between supply and demand became a more urgent matter of life and death in East Africa earlier this year. The dispute over whether Mwai Kibaki or Raila Odinga had won Kenya's presidential elections at the turn of the year quickly boiled over - amidst accusations of electoral fraud - into mass killings along ethnic lines in the Great Lakes area of Kenya during the early months of the year. As the conflict spread and more people were displaced, it quickly became apparent how important the Indian Ocean Port of Mombasa was to the trade and economic health of the entire Eastern and Central African hinterland it serves, as well as just how susceptible modern food supply chains can be to upheaval. Once transport links from the Port of Mombasa to western Kenya and the landlocked states beyond were severed, congestion at Mombasa's quays built up rapidly. While some container services were diverted southward to the Tanzanian 34 by Michael King GBHL is moving ahead with expansion plans at its Port of Mombasa facility, which plays a critical role in the food supply chain in east and central Africa Port of Dar Es Salaam, high quality stevedoring alternatives to Mombasa's grain import facility, operated by Grain Bulk Handlers Limited (GBHL), were in limited supply. With leading charities and the United Nations among GBHL's clientele, and distressed areas such as Somalia and southern (Above) Buhler Portalino Units unloading grain at Grain Bulk Handlers Limited's (GBHL) Mombasa facility. Photos courtesy of GBHL. October 2008 / World Grain / www.World-Grain.comhttp://www.World-Grain.com