All passports will henceforth be printed in Nairobi as the government moves to centralise the issuance of the travel documents by introducing the electronic format. At the same time, there will no longer be manual application of passports with Kenyans now expected to apply for the same online. While it is currently possible to apply and get passports from Kisumu and Mombasa, going forward, the two centres will only be collection points for the accompanying documents like birth certificates and presentation of biometric data. The immigration department is also expanding their document drop points to include Eldoret, Garissa, Embu and Nakuru to reduce the traffic at Nyayo House. Immigration Services director Major General (rtd) Gordon Kihalangwa said a total of 2,000 passports will be printed daily through the new system compared to the old which only printed 800 passports a day. “Previously we could print 600 passports in Nairobi and 100 passports in Kisumu and Mombasa respectively but with the centralised operations, we shall be able to print all the passports here in Nairobi,” Kihalangwa said. He said delivery to their Kisumu and Mombasa branches will be delivered through courier services. The department officially started issuing the new e-passports yesterday with at least 1,800 citizens having already submitted their applications via e-citizen. Kihalangwa said over 16,000 Kenyans who are yet to collect their passports should go back to the immigration department and submit their biodata in order to be issued with the new electronic travel documents, free of charge. He...

Nairobi, 31th August 2017:  South Sudan National Bureau of Standards (SSNBS) stands to benefit from training and technical expertise of Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), according to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the two institutions. The MOU will promote cooperation in standardization, conformity assessment and training and will provide framework and mechanism for bilateral cooperation while facilitating mutual trade. KEBS having been in operation for longer time bring a wealth of expertise while SSNBS though new, has shown steady growth and progress. The MOU was facilitated by TradeMark Africa. (TMA) TMA has supported both SSNBS and KEBS in acquisition of expertise and modern equipment as well as harmonisation of standards.  In South Sudan, TMA with funding from UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) supported the South Sudan government to set up standards bureau including defining governing policies, setting up of laboratories and training.  TMA provided essential testing and metrology equipment (US$1.6 million), refurbishment of chemical and microbiological testing laboratories (US$120,000), technical staff training and support in developing a human resources management system.  In Kenya, TMA has supported KEBS with up to US$1.7 million for modern testing equipment’s and training. The MOU has been undertaken in the spirit of regional integration.

Rwanda’s trade deficit significantly in the first six months of 2017 by over 25 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year, new data shows. According to the latest monetary policy and financial stability statement, the gap between import and export in the first half of the year stood at $671.2 million compared to $902.3 million in the same period last year. The narrowing of the trade deficit can be attributed to a number of factors, including recovery of international commodity prices which has boosted the performance of exports. The statement, presented yesterday by central bank governor John Rwangombwa, shows that formal exports grew by 39.8 per cent. Formal imports also declined by about 10.6 per cent largely due to increased consumption of locally-made products under the Made-in-Rwanda campaign. According to Rwangombwa, total exports increased in value in the first half of the year to $375.92 million compared to the same period last year where they fetched $268.93 million. Traditional exports, which include tea, coffee, minerals, pyrethrum as well as hides and skins, raked in $116.56 million in the first half of the year compared to $98.97 million last year. In the bracket, the mining sector (coltan, cassiterite and wolfram) contributed the largest growth as their export value grew form $40.73 million in the first half of last year to $48.25 million this year. Non-traditional exports, which in Rwanda are dominated by other minerals (other than coltan, cassiterite and wolfram), milling products and other manufactured products increased by 95.2...

A new strategy that is designed to increase tax compliance among clearing agents has been unveiled by the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA). Gadi Munyentwali, the RRA deputy commissioner in charge of risk management, said the compliance improvement plan aims at ensuring that clearing agents and importers meet their tax obligations as prescribed by law. “We developed this strategy to further improve compliance in the sector. It will also help us understand challenges that deter compliance, as well as the associated risks,” Munyentwali said. The plan runs from this year and throughout 2018. “According to our experience, some importers connive with clearing agents to avoid paying their taxes,” he added. He speaking during a tax sensitisation seminar targeting clearing and forwarding agents in Kigali on Tuesday. “The tax body official said agents sometimes give importers wrong information which compromises compliance with tax regulations,” he added. Munyentwali noted that noncompliance and international misclassification of goods were still widespread among clearing agents, adding that the revenue body had discovered a “significant lack of classification knowledge among agents”. “We still see intentional use of fictitious invoices as well as significant abuse of investment certificates and exemptions among some agents. We are, therefore, confident that the compliance improvement plan will help us to address these challenges going forward,” he told the agents. Unscrupulous agents cautioned Meanwhile, the revenue authority has warned noncompliant clearing agents and freight forwarders that it will start publishing names of any agents involved in malpractices for criminal prosecution. “We shall equally...

President Paul Kagame has said that the African tourism sector can accelerate its pace of growth by increasing regional and continental collaboration which would ease movement of citizens. Kagame was speaking Tuesday at the opening of the 41st Annual World Tourism Conference which is currently underway in Kigali. The three-day forum is convened by The Corporate Council on Africa and Africa Travel Association to look into how tourism can be utilised as an engine for economic growth and job creation through innovative business models, new technologies and strategic partnerships. Kagame said collaboration in areas such as open sky policies, appropriate visa regimes across the continent and visa free movement among others can play a huge role in facilitating the growth of the sector in Africa. "We need more cooperation on the continent in order to increase the numbers of visitors as well as facilitate trade and investment within Africa. Implementing existing agreements on open skies and easing visa restrictions are steps in the right direction," the Head of State said. In light of this, Kagame said that Rwanda had begun implementing initiatives such as as the passport free travel to encourage intra-African tourism and the single tourist visa alongside some members of the East African Community. "In Rwanda, we also want to strengthen the collaboration in our region and across the continent. A single tourist visa and passport free travel between Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda is already a reality. So is visa on arrival for all Africans," he added. The...

The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has acquired two cranes to boost cargo clearance at the Port of Mombasa. The cranes are able to handle two vessels at one go, reducing ships’ waiting period. The procurement of the cranes was funded by Trade Mark East Africa (TMA) through the UK government’s International Climate Fund (ICF) at a total cost of Sh868.27 million. TMA in a statement on Wednesday said each of the equipment has a dust control system that minimises running expenses by 30 per cent on average. “The Eco Hoppers will complement mobile harbour cranes for dry bulk cargo handling,” TMA said, adding the cranes are part of efforts to revamp the port’s infrastructure. “These cranes are aimed at mitigating the negative effects on the environment. They are a first of their kind to be deployed in East and Southern Africa,” the statement added. Among the modernisation projects at the port include the construction of the phase one of the second container terminal which increased the port’s annual capacity by 550,000 TEUs. Others are the construction of Berth No.19, and the dredging of the entrance channel which has enabled the port to handle larger vessels. Source: Business Daily

Passport holders will from today be required to replace them with electronic ones. The immigration department is expected to launch the e-passports. Acting interior cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i will preside over the relaunch. The current passports will, however, remain in use for two years before they become obsolete. The e-passport will feature a microchip with data about the holder. To get the e-passport, applicants will be required to apply for a replacement passport and return their current ones. According to the ministry, this was to be done simultaneously with other East African Community member states. "Due to circumstances beyond our control, the roll-out will now be done as stated," Gordon Kihalangwa, director department of immigration services, said. Source: The Star

The two harbour cranes are part of the Mombasa port improvement programme providing more resilient infrastructure facilities with an aim of reducing carbon emissions and helping the port, its users and other stakeholders adapt to the effects of climate change. The cranes will enable the port to handle two vessels at a time instead of the present one which in turn will reduce ship waiting times and significantly greenhouse gas emissions from their diesel powered engines. The eco hoppers which will be received in December 2017 to complement the cranes will provide dust and spillage-free unloading through a dust control system that minimizes escape of dust during discharge and reduces running expenses on average by 30%. Mombasa, Kenya, 29th August 2017 - Kenya Ports Authority’s (KPA) equipment acquisition efforts for the Port of Mombasa got a major boost on Tuesday following the arrival of two ultra-modern diesel electric cranes. The cranes funded by Trade Mark East Africa (TMA) through the UK government’s International Climate Fund (ICF) facility were procured at a total cost of Kshs 868.27 million (USD 8.7 million). The two portal harbor cranes are part of a comprehensive programme in supporting the Port of Mombasa’s resilient port infrastructure initiatives. These cranes are aimed at mitigating the negative effects on the environment. They are a first of their kind to be deployed in East and Southern Africa. The cranes will provide dust and spillage-free unloading through a dust control system that minimizes escape of dust during discharge and reduces...

Today, over 40 percent of people living in sub-Saharan Africa live in absolute poverty. It is this grim reality and the urgent need to sharply reduce the poverty percentage in Africa through trade that dominated the Regional dialogue on World Trade Organization (WTO) accessions for the greater horn of Africa being held in Nairobi. Speaker after speaker bemoaned among others erection of non-barrier tariffs in African borders, lack of product diversification and weak border governance as the main challenges hampering trade growth in Africa. Speaking at the event, Gabriel Negatu, African Development Bank Director General, East Africa Regional Centre challenged African markets to diversify to have a chance at being competitive in a rapidly changing world. “Africa faces major challenges. Our economies aren’t adequately diversified, our manufacturing sector isn’t adequately differentiated,” he said, adding that “we tend to draw from somehow similar resource and end up manufacturing similar products; it becomes very difficult to trade with each other.” Negatu noted that the only way African regional blocs can attain competitiveness is to specialize. To achieve this, he urged the markets to hit a ‘pause’ button first, carry out a thorough audit to establish each nation’s strengths and weaknesses. “For example, Ethiopia has 100 million people. Their power is sold at 3 cents but the man power is not as trained. But Kenya has a very wide natural resource base, access to the port and skilled labour. We need to take a step back, look at the region. Each one should look at what they do best and focus...

THE agenda of an East African federal government, euphemistically sold as an EAC 'political federation' was back on agenda at a meeting of the bloc's council of ministers here. The agenda is up for discussion by the 26th meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers responsible for EAC Affairs and Planning (SCMEACP) at the EAC Headquarters here. The head of Corporate communications and public affairs, Mr Owora Othieno, revealed this, saying: "The meeting is considering several reports ... including the directive by the Summit (Heads of Partner States) ... to appoint a team of experts to draft the constitution of EAC Political Confederation." Political Federation is considered the ultimate goal of the EAC regional integration, the fourth step after the Customs Union, Common Market and Monetary Union - provided for under Article 5(2) of the treaty establishing the Community itself. It is also founded on three pillars of common foreign and security policies, good governance and effective implementation of the prior stages of regional integration. So attainment of the political federation is, in itself, a process and not an event. Though the process has been slow, the EAC heads of state resolved at a special summit held in Nairobi (August 27 to 29, 2004) to examine ways and means of deepening and accelerating the process through a fast-track mechanism. At the time, the summit meeting set up a committee to fast-track the Community's political federation, dubbed 'the Wako Committee' to carry out wide ranging consultations and finalise its work on...