It will take a trader a maximum of 5 minutes to access summarised information on international trade procedures in Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya, November 22nd, 2017 – Traders in Kenya stand to benefit from increased efficiency following launch of the Information for Trade in Kenya web portal (infotradekenya.go.ke), which has consolidated more than 120 documents and procedures required for import and export business in Kenya on one online platform. The portal is estimated to serve at least 1.5 million users per month and consolidates 73 documents under exports, 52 under imports and one under transits (cross border trade) thus ensuring a shorter period in the export and import processes.  Completion and launch of the information portal makes Kenya the first country in the East Africa Community (EAC) to fulfil Article 1 of WTO Trade Facilitation agreement which requires member states to publish their trade procedures online, displaying them step-by-step, with contact information on enquiry points, access to forms and other required documents and all relevant trade and customs laws. Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade) implemented the portal with financial support of approx. US$ 498, 000 from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through TradeMark Africa (TMA). United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) provided technical assistance. Presiding over the launch, the National Treasury Principal Secretary, Dr. Kamau Thugge said, “The InfoTrade Kenya portal is part of the Government’s initiative to facilitate trade in line with the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade Facilitation, to which Kenya is a signatory...

Cargo volumes handled at the Mombasa port grew by 10.6 per cent in the first nine months of this year, defying the tough political environment that has affected business. Kenya Ports Authority managing director (KPA) Catherine Mturi said there was minimal effect on performance by the long electioneering period that saw annulment of the August 8 presidential election and the uncertainty that followed opposition leader Raila Odinga’s withdrawal from the repeat poll held on October 26. However, there have been challenges in the offtake of cargo after transporters scaled down their fleet of trucks ferrying goods from the port for fear of attacks as demonstrations were witnessed in some parts of Nairobi and western Kenya. “This year we have witnessed signs of a good performance in the last nine months from January to September, despite the prolonged electioneering period. “The port handled 22.7 million tonnes of cargo compared with 20.5 million tonnes over the same period last year reflecting an increase of 2.2 million tonnes or 10.6 per cent,” said Ms Mturi. The KPA boss was speaking at Whitesands Beach Resort on Monday when she opened a media workshop for journalists from Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. Ms Mturi attributed the performance to the opening of phase one of the second container terminal that added 550,000 twenty-foot equivalent units to the ports’ capacity. “The has partly been caused by the presence of the second container terminal that has made tremendous contributions to the total...

A raft of concerns should be addressed before the full roll-out of the freight train services of the Standard Gauge Railways early next year, Kenya Railway Corporation management has said. They listed additional charges that accrue on top of freight charges that have already been approved by KRC Board and the ministry of Transport among areas of concern. KRC managing director Atanas Maina said they have held several sessions with stakeholders across the country on tariff charges. However, despite the fact that the SGR freight service is expected to lower the cost of cargo transport by up to 35 per cent between the port of Mombasa and the Nairobi Inland Container Depot, there are several charges that accrue on top of this. “There are a lot of other charges that accrue to cargo owner before you get to freight charges. We are looking into all these. We are computing this, make an adjustment here, adjustment there, possibly to taken care of the issues raised,” said Maina. He was speaking to journalists on the sideline of a two-day media workshop organized by the Kenya Ports Authority at Whitesands Hotel Mombasa. He said they are now preparing a report which will be taken to their parent Ministry of Transport for implementation before the launch of the service. “So many issues have come up, not necessarily related to the railway service, but are critical as a far as the whole supply chain is concerned,” he said. They have engaged the shipping agents, cargo owners and...

Dar es Salaam — Kenya's Trade Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo has played down the current Kenya-Tanzania row and expressed optimism that cordial relations between the two longtime development allies would be restored soon. "A lot has been said on the pertinent issues disrupting trade between Kenya and Tanzania. Kenya considers Tanzania as an important market for its goods and services, which has seen Tanzania become our second most treasured customer in East Africa and sixth in the world," he said last week when unveiling their new strategy to revitalise exports, which have stagnated for some time. In an exclusive interview with The Citizen last week, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Prof Adolf Mkenda, also downplayed claims that Tanzania was increasingly becoming hostile to her neighbour. "Some issues have already been resolved and I am optimistic that those remaining will also be settled amicably," he said in a telephone interview. According to the PS, Tanzanian delegates will meet their Kenyan counterparts in Mombasa at the end of this month amid growing concerns over the ongoing "trade war". Tanzania is still a key market for Kenyan manufactured goods and despite the seemingly shaky trade relations between the two, the country is likely to be high on the list of target export markets in the neighbouring country's new strategy. The strategy dubbed National Export Development and Promotion Strategy aims at growing exports by 20 per cent by 2022. As Kenya seeks to expand exports through...

TradeMark Africa (TMA), through funding from UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and Global Affairs Canada, has so far funded the construction and operationalisation of 15 OSBP including Busia, Malaba, Kabanga/Kobero; Holili/Taveta and Mirama Hill/Kagitumba across the region since 2010 among others. The facilities includes; office buildings, roads and parking yards, cargo verification bays, scanner shed, passenger sheds, targeting booths, warehouse and canopies, ICT networks and hardware, furniture and institutional support to the border agencies. Mutukula One Stop Border Post, which connects Uganda and Tanzania, was the latest to be launched by President Yoweri Museveni and John Pombe Magufuli on Nov. 09.Only Nimule/Elegu border that connects Uganda and South Sudan is yet to be completed. Frank Matsaert, the Chief Executive Officer of TradeMark Africa, said they expect a US$30 return for every dollar spent as the time for clearance at the region’s borders reduce going forward. “Our investmentin these borders is geared towards trade facilitation in the region,” he said, “adding that for countries like Uganda to achieve middle income status, they must reduce on the transport costs.” This is because OSBP works in a way that it brings together immigration and customs officials from two neighbouring countries under one roof at the border crossing point, doing away with need for trucks and persons to undergo clearance twice at both sides of the border. For instance, preliminary survey since the operationalisation of Mutukula OSBP early this year, indicates that the time to cross from Uganda to Tanzania has reduced by...

On Monday, the East African Community (EAC) and the Federal Republic of Germany signed an agreement for supporting health and education sectors in the region to the tune of EUR 35 million, translating into more than 95bn/-. In appreciation and acknowledgement of the EAC’s efforts to immunize every child, Germany has been supporting the immunisation programme in the region in close collaboration with the EAC and Gavi, the vaccine alliance, since 2013. The region has made great progress in introducing new, life-saving vaccines. But according to a statement from the EAC Secretariat here, challenges remain in reaching out to children in remote areas, achieving high coverage rates for newly introduced vaccines and acceptable coverage rates in the new EAC partner state South Sudan. Germany is thus contributing EUR 30 million to immunization programmes in the EAC. The project is successfully being implemented by Gavi, the vaccine alliance, in close collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the partner states’ immunisation programmes. Germany’s total contribution to the EAC immunisation programmes thus amounts to a total of EUR 120 million. Germany will also contribute EURO 5 million to the EAC for a scholarship programme in cooperation with the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA). The goal of this programme is to promote EAC’s regional integration agenda by supporting higher education students and their role in fostering awareness for the East African integration process, creating social change as well as economic growth. The scholarship programme is designed as...

Mr Mkapa is the facilitator to the Inter- Burundi Dialogue while President Museveni heads the process as the mediator. The forthcoming Burundi dialogues’ sessions, as agreed by the two leaders, has been planned to take place in Arusha from 27th November to 8th December, 2017. This key dialogue session will provide an opportunity to all Barundians, at home and abroad, to engage with each other in frank and meaningful deliberations on the political, social and economic problems facing their country. The negotiations are meant to solve conflicts that arose following the controversial 2015 Burundi presidential elections, in which the incumbent, Mr Pierre Nkurunziza, emerged the victor.A statement from the East African Community (EAC) secretariat explains that participants will reach a consensus on the way forward. On the other hand, former President Mkapa, in his capacity as the facilitator, has assured all Barundians and other participants that he was going to provide an enabling environment and guidance as necessary. The Inter-Burundi Dialogue is an EAC-led process under the mediation of President Museveni, a member of the EAC Heads of State Summit. The Summit appointed former Tanzanian President Mkapa to play the role of the facilitator, to support the mediator. The venue for the eleven-day Inter-Burundi dialogue is yet to be confirmed but organisers say it will be either at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) where past dialogues had been held or at the East African Community Headquarters. The East African Community Secretariat implements Council and Summit directives, which means the...

The project for the largest commercial port in East Africa is expected to be completed in 2020 and is being funded through the Japan International Cooperation Agency's Special Terms for Economic Partnership (STEP) loan program. Toyota Tsusho, the trading arm of the Toyota Group, signed the contract with the Kenya Ports Authority, which operates under the Republic of Kenya’s Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development. Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding will be in charge of manufacturing four gantry cranes for quayside operations and 12 transfer cranes for yard operations. The crane types are the same as those delivered in Phase 1 of the port development project, which expanded the port’s goods handling capacity from 720,000 TEU to 1.3 million TEU in 2016. Work on the second phase of the terminal project aims to expand the port’s capacity by 450,000 TEU. By 2025, Mombasa Port is scheduled to increase to approximately 2.4 million TEU. As Kenya’s only international trading port and the largest port in the region, Mombasa Port wants to raise its competitiveness by reducing vessel lay time through faster cargo handling operations. It is a gateway to Uganda, Rwanda and other East African nations. The port is the launching point for a wide range of goods flowing into Kenya and the surrounding region through the East Africa Northern Corridor, including container goods, wheat and other grains, fuel, iron and other metal products, as well as automobiles. In 2012, Toyota Tsusho became the first Japanese company to sign a comprehensive...

The Kenya Ports Authority's (KPA) is set to launch two ultra-modern diesel electric cranes mid next year at the Port of Mombasa to help mitigate pollution. KPA Managing Director Catherine Mturi-Wairi told a media workshop in Mombasa on Monday evening that the equipment that were bought at a cost of 8.7 million U.S. dollars are aimed at attaining acceptable standards of green policy practices. "The cranes will provide dust and spillage-free unloading through a dust control system that minimizes escape of dust during discharge," she said. Unlike the mobile harbor cranes currently used at the port which handles one vessel at a time, the new cranes will handle two vessels simultaneously. Mturi-Wairi noted that the two portal harbor cranes are part of a comprehensive program in supporting the Port of Mombasa's resilient port infrastructure initiatives. She revealed that KPA has developed a green port policy which seeks to position the Port of Mombasa as a leading world port providing sound stewardship and management of the environment affected by port operations. "The policy intends to position the Port of Mombasa as a leading world port providing sound stewardship and management of the environment affected by port operations," she added. It also seeks to place people first while addressing the negative impacts occasioned by port operations and placing a premium on technology-rich and sustainable port operations. Mturi-Wairi noted that the authority has witnessed good performance in the January-September period. She said that the port handled a total of 22.76 million tons of...

Rwanda’s business community should take advantage of the recently installed modern infrastructure at Mombasa port to increase trade, Catherine Mturi-Wairi, the Kenya Ports Authority managing director, has said. Mturi-Wairi said the authority is committed to facilitating regional trade through provision of efficient and convenient services, adding that they look to raise and sustain the port performance to world class standards. “We are working on a plan that will further reduce unnecessary delays at the port. Already, we have expanded yards and berths to handle more cargo, revamped the ICT system for faster document processing, and modernised cargo handling equipment. “We have also installed a new integrated security system to control pilferage, dredged the port channel and widened its turning basin, enabling the port to attract and accommodate larger vessels,” she said on Monday during a stakeholders meeting in Kenya. The port recently invested more than $1 billion to expand facilities to boost its capacity to handle more cargo and attract larger carriers. “The modernisation and expansion programmes have multiplied the port’s capacity to handle larger ships and turn-around more cargo. This will also help reduce the cost and transit time,” the official told The New Times. The port handled a total of 22,756,448 tonnes of cargo for the period January to September compared with 20,566,156 tonnes registered in the corresponding period in 2016, reflecting an increase of 2,190,293 tonnes or 10.6 per cent. The cargo handled between January and September was equivalent to 202,661 Twenty Feet Equivalent Units (TEUs). Cargo destined...