Philip Mwakio A heavy machinery loads one of the fourteen containers loaded with primary schools laptops at the Siginon yard in Miritini soon after they arrived at the port of Mombasa on board a ship, September 23, 2016. The containers were transported by road to Nairobi where they will be distributed to public primary schools country-wide. [PHOTO BY GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDARD]The Port of Mombasa handled 21,458 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) at its two container terminals in the week ending October 5. In a weekly update on port operations, the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) said eight container ships called in to discharge 10,551 TEUs and load another 10,907 TEUs. A TEU is used to describe a ship’s cargo carrying capacity, with a standard 40-foot (40x8x8 feet) container equal to two TEUs (each 20x8x8 feet) A breakdown on imports showed the port received 1,849 TEUs for the local market and 3,799 TEUs for transit, with Uganda maintaining its lead position, accounting for 2,795 TEUs. Tanzania-bound cargo came in a distant second with 326 TEUs, followed by South Sudan with 238 TEUs, the Democratic Republic of Congo with 234 TEUs, and Rwanda with 110 TEUs. A total of 9,681 TEUs were delivered by road, against just 270 TEUs by rail. “The ship average working time was reported as 1.88 days, up from 1.62 days the previous week, while the dwell time was 3.46 days,” KPA said. The total container yard population reported a significant decline to 10,810 TEUs from 12,489 TEUs the previous week....

Kenya Port Authority set up a task force to arrest the 10 percent volume...                         Source: JOC.COM

Dar es Salaam — The Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment Mr Charles Mwijage has warned some Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) workers who colluded with their counterparts at Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) to pass over 100 containers through the Dar es Salaam port without inspection. Mr Mwijage who was inaugurating TBS' workers council at the weekend ordered the involved staff to come out and repent or hide and face serious punishment. "I have started compiling a list of workers who were involved in that illegal act and I urge these people to re-emerge and ask for forgiveness," he noted, adding that he will not spare anyone who will continue trying to conceal themselves. He also told TRA to stop clearing containers without inspection by the standard body which is required by law to make sure that all goods entering the country adhere to required set standards. Mr Mwijage wants those involved to voluntarily be open and divulge who they worked with, when and where the containers were directed. "I know that the management was not aware of this, but time has come to fight such malpractices," he said. According to the acting TBS director general Dr Egid Mubofu, the new workers council is comprised of 48 members with various disciplines and backgrounds. The council will stay for five years. Source: All Africa

Tanzania has pulled out of the East African Community (EAC) common visa, in a move described by analysts as a plan to protect itself from economic competition from the region’s other nations. The decision effectively locks out Tanzania from ‘coalition of the willing’, an initiative by the region’s nations of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda to promote tourism and enable their nationals to freely engage in business without restricted movement, Jamhuri News reported. The visa is valid for three months. It was set to woo tourists form across the globe into the three nations as it markets the region as a single tourism destination. Several foreign tour operators had in the past complained about the immigration hardships they faced at the respective border entry points into the nations. The pull-out by Tanzania will however not affect the remaining nations from signing a cooperation pact on tourism to enable tourists move between the three nations using a common visa that will be charged $100 (10,122), $5 than the before. Tanzania’s decision to pull out of the common visa comes three months after it pulled out of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EAP) with the European Union (EU). The trade pact is meant to help the EAC members to directly export products into the EU market. The Tanzanian government took the decision to protect its local industries. The confusion surrounding Britain’s withdrawal from the EU bloc also informed the decision,Daily Nation reported. Uganda followed Tanzania, a decision which stopped the signing of the trade...

By Sylivester Domasa The government will soon announce new speed limits on certain roads that could cover sections by up to 110 kilometres under a new classification system approved by the East African Community (EAC) to facilitate road traffic and promote intra-regional trade. The regional bloc has Okayed a maximum speed limit of 110km/h; up from 80kms-, Tanzania Road Safety Week Chairman Mr Henry Bantu told reporters in Dar es Salaam over the weekend. However, as the government contemplates the new rule, the transport safety and operations expert says the new changes will push the government to increase road reserves -- a key parameter in road safety. "The new changes means the road reserves will be increased to 25 metres from the current 20... this will give enough space for unexpected road crashes to hit pedestrians near the road," he noted. "It will not be possible that while Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan have approved 110km/h Tanzania maintains 80kmph. To easy trade flow the government will be forced to change the speed limits," he detailed. The 'Daily News' could not independently establish the roads that will accommodate new speed limits. However, it remained certain that all the highways connecting Dar es Salaam to upcountry regions and neighbouring countries will be affected. Efforts to get clarification from the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding the new development proved failure, but automobile industry watchdog agencies said there are more than reviewing the road reserve. Tanzania Child Rights Forum (TCRF) Legal Officer...

Ugandan government has reiterated its commitment to revive Lake Victoria water transport operations between Uganda and Tanzania in order to lower transportation costs between the two countries. Ugandan Minister of State for Transport Mr Aggrey Bagiire said this after meeting the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) Director General, Deusdedit Kakoko when the later paid a courtesy call at his office. According to a statement from Tanzania Ports Authority, the Ugandan minister said they were committed to raise the volumes going through the lake to twenty percent in the next two years by improving ship operations, port and rail infrastructures at Port Bell and the new port of Bukasa which will be built in Kampala. "It is a directive from Uganda higher authorities that people and goods need to move quickly and cheaply in order to reduce the costs of doing business," he said adding that implementation of this directive has started by holding technical meetings between the two ministries of Uganda and Tanzania and the Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency (CCTTFA). The Minister called for activation of the rail route between Dar es Salaam and Mwanza. On his part, the TPA Director General said Dar es Salaam- Mwanza route has been revamped by increasing number of wagons and locomotives. He said the government of Tanzania has secured funds to construct a standard gauge rail system which is now on tender process. "Construction of the rail is expected to be completed in the next three years," he noted. He said, once...

Before South African President Jacob Zuma visited Kenya last week, expectations were high that a deal allowing freer travel would be struck. The expectations were dashed when President Zuma dithered, only pledging that matters immigration was a work in progress. Kenya's visa interests were not a completely lost cause as the joint communique captured South African "concessions" offering easier visa terms for elite categories of Kenyans. It, however, fell short of reciprocal balance given South Africans enjoy a visa-on-arrival regime while Kenyans endure steep hurdles in travelling to South Africa. The reason President Zuma gave for the equivocation is that terrorists and criminals would exploit the opportunity to gain entry into South Africa and wreak havoc there. In essence, law abiding Kenyans are collateral damage. This justification can be given benefit of doubt considering the reality of terrorists in Kenya. Incredulity can, however, be entertained. An important factor that might have impelled South Africa to prevaricate is that the country has policies and regulations focused on checking the influx of African economic refugees. Kenya is no exception. Allowing Kenyans no-holds-barred entry would have been received negatively by South African interest groups that have often expressed angst at other Africans, especially of lower classes. It would also have had a domino effect with other African countries pushing for similar deals. It is noteworthy that President Uhuru Kenyatta lobbied his counterpart on the visa issue at an open press briefing. It would appear that President Kenyatta was showing his being in sync...

Tanzanian President John Magufuli lately is reported insisting the cabinet for the speed up of the Central Railway construction project that is to begin this year. Magufuli noted during talks at the State House in Dar es Salaam his government entertains acting more and less of preaching. A statement released by the Presidential Directorate of Communications read, “We would like to see our development partners, particularly China which is the best friend to Tanzania to go with that speed.” The Central Railway Line is planned to connect Dar es Salaam with Mwanza, Kigoma as well as the neighboring countries of Rwanda and Burundi. The Magufuli government has sanctioned one trillion shillings for the construction project for this year’s budget and until now 32 contractors have applied for a tender. The line will cover the length of 200 kilometer from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro. The president said he is looking ahead to start the project this financial year and wants to complete before he steps down. He further added the Central Railway line project is important for their country and also for other countries that depend the Dar es Salaam port. It would contribut to the nation’s economic growth, paving way to becoming industry-based economy country by 2025. Magufuli also pledged China would push for fast construction of the line and he vows to move at the speed of 200 km per hour. Source: SRJ News

IN SUMMARY Companies like Royal Dutch Shell, which has for over 10 years been holding exploration licences for blocks in Zanzibar, can now start exploration. Tanzania has passed a law that will see the Isles government independently award licences for offshore oil and gas exploration to multinationals. The passing of the Bill to establish the Zanzibar Petroleum Regulatory Authority automatically removes oil and gas from Union matters, allowing the two states to issue exploration licences independently. The move means that companies like Royal Dutch Shell, which has for over 10 years been holding exploration licences for blocks in Zanzibar, can now start exploration. The Petroleum Act 2015, which was passed by the Union government paved the way for oil and gas to be removed from Union issues. Section 2 (2) (b) of the Act allows the government of Zanzibar to conduct the search for the oil. “The Bill will pave the way for the extractive industries to become part of the national accounts to spur the economy to grow faster and increase its GDP base,” said John Ulanga, the country director of TradeMark Africa in Tanzania. Experts said that the biggest challenge for Zanzibar would be the lack of qualified personnel. Source: The East African

Cargo ship at the port of Mombasa. Insurance companies in the region are now eyeing a $170 million marine insurance dividend following the Kenya National Treasury’s directive to cargo importers to insure with local insurers from January 1, 2017 when the new law takes effect. PHOTO | FILE IN SUMMARY Insurance companies in the region are now eyeing a $170 million marine insurance dividend following the Kenya National Treasury’s directive to cargo importers to insure with local insurers from January 1, 2017 when the new law takes effect. Insurance companies in the region are now eyeing a $170 million marine insurance dividend following the Kenya National Treasury’s directive to cargo importers to insure with local insurers from January 1, 2017 when the new law takes effect. The new requirement comes at a time importation of high worth equipment and raw materials is expected to increase as a result of the massive infrastructure projects underway in the East and Central African regions. The requirement for local insurance is contained in Section 20 of the Insurance Act and it will now be the duty of the Kenya Revenue Authority to oversee its implementation by importers to show their insurance contract with a local firm before clearing goods. Currently, it is a requirement that imports be verified in the source country under the Pre-Export Verification of Conformity (PVoC) mechanism set up by the KRA and the Kenya Bureau of Standards. Kenya’s Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said tly the marine insurance segment currently...