Delegates from more than 18 African countries are due to meet in Nairobi from Monday to review Africa’s progress on implementation of Single Window System, an online cargo clearing system, organizers said on Thursday. The Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade) which is implementing an online cargo clearance system in the country, said the 14thExecutive Committee and 8th General Assembly meeting of the African Alliance for E-Commerce (AAEC) will be held in Nairobi from March 13-15. KenTrade’s CEO Amos Wangora said the decision by the continental organization to hold the AAEC meetings in Nairobi for the first time was a big honour not only to Kenya but to the East African Community region as a whole, noting that other EAC member states had also been invited to attend. “Successful implementation of the Single Window System in Kenya has positioned Kenya as a strong logistics platform in the East Africa region in addition to providing opportunity for sharing best practices on implementation of Single Window System among peers,” Wangora said. Kenya TradeNet or single window system is a web based portal and is accessible 24/7 nationwide to stakeholders in trade logistics industry and will facilitate the flow of goods in and out of Kenya’s borders. The initiative is also expected to facilitate international and domestic trade at the port of Mombasa, and has been touted as the solution to the persistent delays at the port. It reduces the time it takes to process goods through customs at the port by half, from...

Needless charges and regulations as well as closed skies are bottlenecks to cross-border business in East Africa, a lobby has said. The East African Business Council (EABC) now wants the regional parliament to fast-track the removal of these barriers to boost trade. The council executive director Lilian Awinja said the slow pace of opening up the borders exposes local traders and professionals to cutthroat competition from importers and consultants servicing individual markets directly. “The private sector is concerned that despite the commitments of the EAC partner States at the international level as evidenced by concerted efforts to integrate East Africa into a single market, domestic air transport remains over-protected, thus translating into less accessible and unaffordable for potential local users,” she said in a statement. Commuter air services within the East Africa Community comprising Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda, face hurdles as some routes remain unserved. Most travellers from one country to another have to fly to Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to catch a connecting flight. For example, East Africa Legislative Assembly Speaker Daniel Kidega’s endured a 10-hour flight from Arusha in Tanzania to Kigali in Rwanda. “As I came here from my home in Arusha, I took a flight to Zanzibar, then to Nairobi, from there to Bujumbura and then on to Kigali. It took me close to 10 hours from Arusha to Kigali. That is an unacceptable way to do business,” he said. Reciprocal flights Ms Awinja said despite Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South...

Efforts by the government to attract investors to help build 29 berths at the proposed Lamu port has received a boost from African Development Bank. The pan-African lender last week gave a $1.9 million (about Sh194.86 million) grant to cater for advisory services and technical support in developing a feasible plan for the port. The funds, through AfDB's New Partnership for Africa’s Development Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility, will position the proposed Lamu port as an attractive venture for big-ticket investors. The port has 32 berths whose construction cost is estimated at $5 billion (Sh512.8 billion). The cost for the first phase of the project's three berths is estimated at $689 million (Sh70.7 billion). The amount will cover dredging and reclamation, construction of berths and yards, construction of revetment, causeway and road, construction of buildings and utilities, and procurement of equipment and tug boats among others. The construction of the first three berths is being funded by the government, while the remaining 29 will be financed through public-private partnerships under the build-operate-transfer model. “The construction of the first three berths is ongoing with completion date of July 2018 for the first berth, and December 2020 for the next two at a cost of $480 million (Sh49.2 billion),” AfBD and Lapsset Corridor Development Authority said in a joint statement. The proposed port is the core of the Sh2.5 trillion Lamu Port Southern Sudan- Ethiopia Transport Corridor, whose implementation has suffered funding challenges since its commissioning on March 2, 2012. The government is,...

The Gender Equality and Development Act was passed by East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) on Women’s Day. The law aims to advance gender equality and equity among EAC member states in economic, political, socio-economic and cultural aspects. PIC:Christine Mbonyingingo (middle) and Commissioner Ministry of East African Community, Ronah Serwadda (right) looks on during a press conference at the East African Sub- regional support Initiative, (EASSI) on 10/3/17. PHOTO BY JULIET KASIRYE Women organizations in East Africa have asked regional heads of state to ratify a new law that seeks to provide guarantees for gender equality and protection of women from all forms of violence. The Gender Equality and Development Act was passed by East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) on Women’s Day. The law aims to advance gender equality and equity among EAC member states in economic, political, socio-economic and cultural aspects. The Act mandates member states to uphold the right of every woman and man to life, personal dignity and integrity, and security of a person at all levels in their public and private lives. Women organisations through their umbrella body, the East Africa Sub Regional Support Initiative, (EASSI), at a press briefing on Friday, implored the heads of state of the five EAC states to assent to the new law to protect women. “Although the Act was passed, if it is not domesticated by Uganda and the member states-Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi and South Sudan, it will not help us,” Marren Akatsa, the EASSI executive director said. According to...

The East African Community (EAC) is, at last, seeing light at the end of the tunnel after a long era of gender angst. But achieving gender equality will be an uphill task as old habits die hard. However, a recent endorsement of the Gender Equality and Development Bill, 2016 by the East African Legislative Assembly last week to improve the rights of women and girls is encouraging. We urge EAC heads of state to assent to the document for the bloc to reach gender equality, protection and development. The envisaged law stipulates the right of a child to quality education and can address other issues such as land rights, marginalised groups and gender-based violence. Indeed, forced marriage has been the nemesis of girls, condemning them to illiteracy, poverty and servitude. Teenage marriage and female genital mutilation are not only anachronistic, but also used as tools of female subjugation. That runs counter Article 6 of the EAC Treaty, which strongly opposes discrimination against any person on grounds of sex or gender. EAC governments will have to review marriage and inheritance pieces of legislation that are repressive to women and increase their representation in decision-making bodies. Last year, Tanzania's High Court ruled that sections 13 and 17 of the Law of Marriage Act, 1971, which allow a girl aged below 18, to marry were unconstitutional. That came after Children's Rights Organisation director Rebecca Gyumi filed a petition to strike out all provisions in the Law of Marriage Act, 1971, which allow a...

The Government has announced plans to revive the Kenya National Shipping Line that has the potential to contribute Sh304 billion to the country’s economy annually. The revival of the shipping line is expected to return Kenya to its historical place as a rich seafaring nation with highly respected seafarers. The initiative is expected to create an average of 3,000 job opportunities for youth in the first year, and thereafter progressively increase to 6,000 in five years. State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu on Sunday said the State Department of Maritime and Shipping Affairs, through its Blue Economy Committee, has rolled out plans to restructure the ownership of the KNLS. “Negotiations are at an advanced stage for the exit of foreign shareholders who have expressed desire to cease working with KNLS, due to KNSL having become a parastatal” said Esipisu when he addressed the press at State House, Mombasa. Esipisu said the revival of the the shipping line, which has been dormant for decades, is part of the Jubilee administration’s wider plan to boost the economy of the coast region as well that of the whole country. “This administration has invested billions of shillings in this region to build or improve security, infrastructure and general service delivery, with the simple goal of uplifting the live of residents in an inclusive way,” said Esipisu. The State House Spokesperson used his press briefing to speak on the wide ranging development initiatives that have been rolled out in the region and more that are in...

The recent scramble for the partition of the nine slots allotted to Uganda in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), has stirred concern among ordinary Ugandans. During the elections this month, the exercise became rowdy as MPs from the government nearly exchanged blows with their counterparts in the Opposition on the floor of Parliament. The scuffle started when Ingrid Turinawe, a candidate from the Opposition Forum for Democratic (Change) walked to the podium to solicit for votes in Parliament. But as she began to address the MPs, majority of the ruling party legislators opposed to her candidature stood up in protest and started shouting at her, paralyzing the Parliamentary proceedings. In the end FDC, which fronted two candidates, scoped no seat while smaller parties like the Democratic Party (DP) and Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) posted a representative each. But the chaos that ensured in the house has left ordinary Ugandans wondering whether EAC is a job basket for politicians or is intended to benefit the common person. Each newly elected MP in EALA will receive at least $14,000 (Ugsh50m) in monthly salaries beginning July. At the signing of the treaty that established the community in 2000, the ordinary East African had been promised to benefit from the reunion. But so far EAC has remained majorly a “platform” for Presidents and regional Members of Parliament who receive huge salaries. “That’s why in Uganda the elections for the members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) make little sense to the ordinary...

Plans by the Kenya Revenue Authority to have at least 40 per cent of cargo arriving at the port of Mombasa transported to Nairobi on the standard gauge railway for clearance at the inland container depot are causing anxiety among transporters and importers. KRA Commissioner for Customs and Border Control Julius Musyoki said using the SGR is a part of the agency's strategy to ensure Mombasa remains the route of choice for traders in the Northern Corridor, as well as northern Tanzania, DR Congo and Ethiopia. "The SGR railway line is designed to carry 22 million tonnes of cargo annually, equivalent to 40 per cent of Mombasa ports throughout," Mr Musyoki told The EastAfrican. Recognising that volumes of imports and exports at ICD will grow exponentially, KRA developed the strategy to enhance efficiency in clearance time and provide effective controls on imports, exports and transit traffic, he added. While KRA is yet to formally issue a directive on the matter, importers and transporters say it would be illegal for the government to dictate how to conduct their business. "The government would be opening itself up to legal battles if it forced importers to transport their cargo by rail," said Gilbert Lang'at, the Shippers Council of Eastern Africa chief executive. He added that while the SGR had the potential to bring down transportation costs by as much as 35 per cent, the company that has been awarded the contract to operate the SGR has not given importers its operations strategy, particularly...

The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) is consulting internally on how to proceed after business leaders requested for more time to allow for further consultations on the EAC Polythene Materials Control Bill, 2016, The New Times has learnt. The Bill was recently re-introduced for the second time during the August 2016 sitting in Arusha, Tanzania, by MP Patricia Hajabakiga (Rwanda) after it failed to be approved at the Heads of State summit in 2013. The Bill aims at providing a legal framework for the preservation of a clean and healthy environment through the prohibition of manufacturing, sale, importation and use of polythene materials in the East African Community (EAC). Ever since its reintroduction, businesses voiced concerns and they reiterated their call for more consultations during a dinner hosted by the East African Business Council (EABC) in Kigali on Tuesday. The EABC executive director, Lilian Awinja, said the Bill is a good initiative but since they have received concerns from members of the regional business community, the Assembly ought to consider allowing more time for “sufficient consultations.” “We kindly request that you allow us to undertake thorough private sector consultations and give input to EALA before the passing of this Bill,” Awinja told EALA Speaker Daniel Kidega and other lawmakers. The EABC has already officially written to the Speaker– and it will most likely take the Assembly to make a decision. During the dinner, Rwandan businessman Denis Karera, who is also the EABC Vice Chairperson, told lawmakers that the “sensitive Bill”...

An inaugural test run for the standard gauge railway (SGR) from Nairobi to Mombasa was carried out successfully using a passenger train. The passenger train left Nairobi at 9.30am and arrived at the Mombasa Marshaling yard at around 4.00pm. Speaking at the Mombasa marshaling yard (dubbed kilometer zero) at the Port of Mombasa, SGR Project Coordinator Johnson Matu said they were impressed with the initial test runs. "The test runs were meant to determine the train's performance ability on the new SGR track," Eng Matu said. The maiden test drive trip from Nairobi to Mombasa covered a total of 472km with the first stop being at Mtito Andei for two hours and five minutes. A specialised compartment fitted with a computerised system, which is able to see condition of track and relay it to the computer system was among the compartments hauled by the locomotive on the maiden drive. There was a two hour stoppage at Mtito Andei, which is the mid point of the 472km and included four coaches and two passenger locomotive engines of the DF 8B class. "We were cruising at a speed of 120km per hour from Nairobi up to Mtito Andei, where all the rail communication modern systems are in place," he said. But after Mtito Andei, it took longer for the train to cruise since they opted to travel at much lower speeds since the signaling and communication system are yet to be complete. "Manual system to the clear the incoming trains was used....