Concerns about the environmental impact of urban freight transport are growing along with population density and urban congestion. Thankfully, awareness of the need for sustainable urban development is also on the rise and the coordination of traffic and logistics is receiving greater attention. Yet the need is urgent for more efficient and effective freight transport systems that not only address costs but also tackle environmental issues such as noise, air pollution, vibration and visual intrusion. This is especially so in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Thika and Nakuru. These challenges can be addressed using the concept of City Logistics. City Logistics can be defined as “the process for totally optimising the logistics and transport activities by private companies with the support of advanced information systems in urban areas considering the traffic environment, its congestion, safety and energy savings within the framework of a market economy.” It’s time to create real visions for logistics in our cities. We can start by setting targets for what can be achieved by applying this forward-looking concept in capital city first, then the rest follow. City Logistics presents us with three targets: mobility, sustainability and livability. Mobility is the central component for ensuring smooth and reliable traffic flow including freight traffic. Sustainability is necessary for making cities more environmentally friendly while livability is also an essential element and one that has garnered growing importance most recently as the number of elderly residents in cities is on the rise. Urban freight transport involves shippers, freight carriers, administrators and...

Kenya Railways is collecting views on the proposed redesign of the Nairobi Railways station that is targeted at a smooth flow of traffic in the city. On Tuesday, Atanas Maina, the managing director, said they were receiving public input through the social media but would come up with a website for forwarding the ideas aimed at giving the station a new look in a five-year project.  “The project is under feasibility stage. The critical thing is that we are now going into public engagements to establish what residents want to see out of this project,” he said. “This project will be a game- changer within the city of Nairobi. As a matter of fact, we will also be having an investor’s conference to attract people to come and invest in this project. This is something that we cannot do for ourselves,” Mr Maina said. A team drawn from the county government, Housing ministry, Kenya Railways, Lands ministry, and the Urban and Metropolitan Directorate are working on the redesign. Traffic pile-up within the city and its environs has generated a heated but an incomplete debate on how traffic should be freed up within the city. There’s a metropolitan transport authority that is working on easing up vehicular traffic, also assessing what is happening in Kiambu, Kajiado, Murang’a, Machakos counties. The redesign will be in phases to carry facilities such as hotels, malls and bus stops. After revamp, it will be accessible from key adjacent roads: Bunyala, Landhies road, Uhuru Highway as...

The UK’s Department of International Trade (DIT) is pledging funding for infrastructure development in Africa, including £4-billion in South Africa, £1-billion in Kenya and £750-million in Nigeria, through export credit agency, UK Export Finance (Ukef). These investments are to help aid and address “a chronic infrastructure backlog” that the World Bank estimates to be about $93-billion a year in the sub-Saharan Africa region – with 319-million people in the region not having access to reliable drinking water, 620-million not having access to electricity, and only 34% of people having adequate road access. Although Africa is the second-fastest urbanising region in the world behind Asia, with estimates showing that more than half of its projected 2.2-billion people will live in cities in the next 30 years, the continent still struggles with a lack of infrastructure, states DIT. UK Africa trade commissioner Emma Wade-Smith says Africa’s infrastructure challenges not only inhibit its ability to trade with the rest of the world, but are also a significant obstacle to intra-African trade – both are critical to the continent’s economic growth agenda. AFRICA INSIGHT Wade-Smith urges that there is enormous scope for Africa to boost its exports to the UK and other parts of the world if it can address its infrastructure backlog. “Research shows that, in the long term, trade is better than aid and, without adequate infrastructure, it will be difficult for Africa to boost its ability to buy and sell globally.” DIT in Africa has been instrumental in establishing the Africa...

NAIROBI, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's business reforms and infrastructure development already undertaken provide best opportunities for investors to set up investments that will create more jobs for the youth, a senior government official said on Tuesday. Adan Mohamed, the Cabinet Secretary for Industry, Trade and Cooperatives, told investors in Nairobi that Kenya is targeting investors who are willing to set investments that have high labour content. "Our new company law for example allows one person to be the sole director of a company. We also allow one hundred percent ownership of a company by a foreigner," said Mohamed. He said Kenya now allows total repatriation of dividends without them being taxed. "We have an open foreign exchange regime and our financial system is most dynamic in the region," Mohamed said. He gave examples as agro-processing, business process outsourcing, energy and related services, telecommunications and construction. "These are priority sectors we have identified because of the obvious reasons that they have potential to create massive employment opportunities," said Mohamed. He said the high investment in the infrastructure, including the standard gauge railway, expansion of the ports, construction of new roads and expansion of telecoms and energy distribution infrastructure have enabled lower cost of doing business in the country. Mohamed said investors in Kenya also stand to benefit from the country's duty-free access to United States and European markets under the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act and Economic Partnership Agreement respectively. Mohamed said investors also stand to benefit from the East...

The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade (DIT) has pledged billions of Pounds Sterling in lending and guarantees to African countries to help them address a chronic infrastructure backlog. “Africa’s infrastructure challenges not only inhibit its ability to trade with the rest of the world but are also a significant obstacle to intra-African trade, both of which are critical to the continent’s economic growth agenda,” said Emma Wade-Smith, the UK’s Trade Commissioner for Africa. “Finance is a critical component of infrastructure development and the combined risk appetite of £21.4bn we have across the region to facilitate projects is a clear sign of the UK’s belief in Africa’s long-term economic growth trajectory.” DIT in Africa has a presence in 21 countries across the continent, can enable the provision of these facilities through UK Export Finance (UKEF), the United Kingdom’s export credit agency, a part of DIT. Loans can be extended in the local currencies of 9 African countries for projects ranging from transportation, mining and general construction, though they must include at least 20% UK content and meet all other lending criteria. For example, UKEF has the ability to support infrastructure projects in South Africa (up to £4bn), Kenya (up to £1bn) and Nigeria (up to £750m). “Of course, projects must still meet all the lending requirements before we’re able to disburse any funding. But in terms of capacity, we have the ability to provide significant funding for infrastructure projects across Africa,” Wade-Smith added. Although Africa is the second-fastest urbanizing region...

The East African Community has embarked on a landmark work-load analysis and job evaluation exercise that could substantially alter the organizational structure of the Community. The 15-day exercise which is being conducted by experts from the six EAC partner States has been convened in line with the directive of the 35th Meeting of the Council of Ministers which was held on April 4, 2017 in Arusha, Tanzania which approved the terms of reference for work-load analysis and job evaluation. The experts are drawn from the Public Service Commissions as well Ministries of Public Service in the partner States. Speaking at the opening of the exercise, EAC Secretary General, Liberat Mfumukeko said that one of the expected outcomes of the exercise would be a new organizational structure for the Community. Mfumukeko said that the desired structure should be flexible and decentralized to allow speedy decision-making at all levels of the Community using fewer resources. “To explain the relationship between EAC and the Partner States, I wish to point out that the role of the Secretariat is to coordinate and not implement projects and programmes,” he added. The scope of the meeting which has been convened by the EAC Ad Hoc Service Commission includes: Undertaking a comprehensive analysis of all positions in the Organs and Institutions; Undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the proposed structures for EAC Organs and Institutions; Proposing a new Grading Structure for the Community, and; Reviewing and updating Job Descriptions for staff in the proposed structures. The meeting will...

BUSINESS MOMBASA - The region's commissioners of customs, together with the heads of standards bureaus, port authorities and the East African Community (EAC) have undertaken an evaluation mission at the ports of Mombasa and Dar-es[-Salaam. They met to review the performance of the Single Customs Territory and also discuss issues related to the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) procedures. The Monday meeting in Mombasa was chaired by Uganda’s commissioner for customs Dicksons Kateshumbwa and included a walk-through of procedures at Mombasa port to establish points on delays and recommend the way forward. It was attended by among others Kenneth Bagamuhunda, the director general customs and trade at the EAC, Kenya Ports Authority Officers and other customs commissioners and officials in the region. It was noted that despite the achievements registered under the Single Customs Territory in the region, there are still challenges that need to be sorted. Such challenges include reducing system connectivity issues, implementing fully the mutual recognition of clearing agents to access the ports and reducing delays in lifting cargo from the port. The commissioners also interfaced with Kenya Railways officials and discussed the recent directive on usage of THE SGR. They recommended the need for enhanced consultations within the region on issues of SGR cargo clearance to ensure buy-in and support within the region. The commissioners directed the EAC secretariat and the customs technical officials at the port to validate and update railway  clearance procedures earlier developed under the Single Customs Territory to incorporate SGR  operations and Nairobi ICD...

Arusha — The East African Community (EAC) climate unit which was closed two years ago, will soon be back in operation. The unit which was established to assist the member countries to adapt climate change and mitigate its effects was closed down on January 20th, 2016 after donors pull out. But the EAC deputy secretary general (Productive and Social Sectors), Christophe Bazivamo said on Friday, March 2, that it was now being revived. "Donors have agreed to support its operations and we expect it will be back in action soon", he told reporters at the sidelines of investor's roundtable on environment and natural resources management. The unit, launched in December 2011, was supported by the European Union Commission, the Norwegian government and the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DfID). One of its mandates was to assist farmers in the region to implement climate smart agriculture to mitigate impacts of weather vagaries. The $ 20 million programme was also to be implemented in the Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) blocs. Speaking during the forum which focused on the conservation of resources within the Lake Victoria basin, Mr Bazivamo called for increased private sector involvement in addressing challenges of climate change. "There has been less involvement of the private sector. Yet this can enable them do business and improve livelihood of the people", he said. He told participants from all over the region and development partners that droughts and water scarcity...

Wheat accounted for the bulk of imports through Mombasa port in one week last month, according to the latest figures from the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA). The agency said 79,501 tonnes of bulk wheat were discharged at the port in the week ended February 21 to emerge as the leading non-containerised cargo over the period. KPA said the commodity accounted for 49.79 per cent of the total 159,642 tonnes of general cargo handled during the week in review. A total of 15 vessels were offloaded at the conventional cargo terminus that handled an average of 22,806 tonnes a day, with total exports registering 1,364 tonnes. Other commodities handled in fairly large quantities included steel and bulk fertiliser that accounted for 31,304 tonnes and 24,722 tonnes respectively. Vehicle imports recorded a sharp increase from 189 units in the previous week to 2,498 units. “During the week under review, deliveries of general cargo from the port by road transport recorded 82,593 tonnes while the conveyor delivered 75,685 tonnes,’’ said KPA in a statement. Source: Hellenic Shipping News

Traders in Mombasa and Kisumu will soon have more transport options for their goods after a local carrier announced it will launch air cargo transportation between the counties. Silverstone Air Services, which started operating direct passenger flights between the two cities in February, says the new cargo route will boost trade between the devolved units. “We will start cargo transportation...and we are slightly cheaper. We will do all cargo and parcels apart from non-dangerous goods. For body transportation we will charge Sh40,000 only. Traders dealing with fish from the two counties who have been urging us to start transporting their commodities can now breathe a sigh of relief,” the airline's sales manager Patrick Oketch said Monday. Silverstone Air is a fairly new entrant into the local aviation scene and has been on an expansion binge barely six months since setting up in Kenya. The low cost carrier's passenger flights target tourists from the Western and Coastal regions and is charging about Sh10,500 for a one-way ticket between Kisumu and Mombasa. It operates twice a week, every Friday and Sunday. Expansion Since its inception in October 2017, the company has employed about 186 staff. The airline’s chief executive officer, Mohamed Somow, says the company will soon expand to operate more routes across the country. Mombasa deputy governor William Kingi urged traders to use the airline to transport fresh tilapia consumed in Mombasa, usually transported to the port city by road. In recent times, local fish traders have faced stiff competition from...