A port chaplain in Mombasa, Kenya, has spoken about how the crew of a fishing vessel were not paid their wages, denied shore leave and had to endure poor living conditions on board ever since their ship was detained at the port more than two years ago. The Taiwanese-owned ship, MV Lean Fong Tsai, first arrived at Mombasa with an Indonesian crew in December 2014. It was detained by Kenya Maritime Authority when port state control officers found the ship to be unseaworthy. Repairs were still not done by 2015, so the crew were repatriated and a new crew comprising 11 Filipinos, and a Taiwanese engineer and master, were subsequently brought in to take over without the authorities’ knowledge, said George Sunguh from the seafarers’ charity Apostleship of the Sea (AoS). “The captain repeatedly told the men ‘we will sail next month’, but it never happened. The crew were only provided with rice and chicken, with no vegetables and fruit, and limited drinking water,” said George who is the AoS Coordinator in Mombasa, adding that living conditions on board were dismal. George added, “The ship owner decided to repatriate the crew without the authorities’ knowledge but one of the seafarers was able to contact police overseas. It was at this point that AoS and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) intervened to assist the men.” While they were stranded, AoS provided pastoral and practical support to the seafarers; listening to their concerns and helping them keep in contact their families...

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi while presiding over the launch of the new passports on Thursday described the rollout as a milestone in efforts to ensure the digitisation of identification information for all citizens. “Our departments are coming together and you can see that we are stepping on to a modern digital platform of managing identification and information of our citizens,” Matiangi said during the function also graced by Pakistan High Commissioner to the country Raza Bashir Tarar, his cabinet colleagues Charles Keter (Energy and Petroleum), Joe Mucheru (ICT), Phyllis Kandie (EAC, Labour and Social Protection), Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho and Gordon Kihalangwa, the Director General at the Directorate of Immigration and Registration of Persons. Matiangi lauded the staff at the directorate of immigration for ensuring the timely adoption of the new electronic passports, something he said the government had taken with seriousness since EAC Heads of States agreed on the rollout at the 17th Ordinary Summit held on March 2, 2016 in Arusha. The new travel documents according to Matiangi comply with guidelines set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), making them admissible globally. Matiangi however warned immigration staff against irregular issuance of the passports saying the integrity of the new passport will be protected at all cost. “We want to be even much more serious than we’ve been in handling our identification passports. Our passports must not be in the hands of the people who ought not to have them. The integrity of these documents must...

Euromonitor International’s new data showed international arrivals to Africa grew by 6.5 percent in 2017, with more than 18.6 million people traveling to the continent. Five years ago, that number was 16.4 million. Africa’s key travel markets include South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique, Cameroon, Mauritius and Tanzania. These countries accounted for 70 percent of international trips to the Sub-Saharan African region. One of the key growth drivers at the moment is digital integration, which is helping increase Africa’s footprint on the world travel map. Another is the increasing interaction between hotels, airlines and car rental companies. Platforms such as social media, meta-search engines and the penetration of online travel agents to better communicate with one another provide more robust travel options for visitors. “Many countries are moving away from only promoting Africa as a traditional safari destination, exploring other niche categories such as beach and medical tourism,” said Euromonitor Research Analyst Christy Tawii. “The travel and tourism market continues to introduce products that suit different types of travelers, accounting for strong growth in major cities across Sub-Saharan Africa,” Tawii added. The outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be strong. Euromonitor predicts a growth to 25 million trips by 2022 and says that ongoing growth will be driven by increased interest from overseas visitors due to more competitive rates. While price will be a factor, destination marketing campaigns and an increase in airlift, especially from long-haul markets, will also drive inbound tourism. Making Africa easier to reach is key. Air prices for travel to the continent remain...

The contrast couldn’t be starker. As U.S. President Donald Trump’s government continues to champion isolationism and undermine decades-old international relationships, China is rolling out its Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI, a project to build a new “Silk Road” that could change the meaning of globalization itself. Africa is at the margins of both of these developments, but its future will be determined by them. As someone who grew up in Africa, the project stirs a tangle of emotions. While it will directly affect East and North Africa, there is the chance that it could spur desperately needed development all along Africa’s eastern seaboard, where countries are still trying to recover from the proxy conflicts of the Cold War. For me, it comes down to African agency: Are African governments doing enough to achieve gains that can be shared? Or are their citizens being left to pick up the tab? The issue isn’t just about an increasing amount of Chinese power in Africa, but about what local leaders will allow outside forces like China to do with that influence as well. The breakdown of trust between African leaders and the African population is being put to the test ― and even exacerbated ― by ventures like Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. Breaking Down The Belt And Road Initiative The Belt and Road Initiative breaks down into two parts, one over land and another over sea. The former, known as the Silk Road Economic Belt, is made up of interlinked rail lines, communications networks, and oil and gas pipelines running from Chongqing in China...

Kenya Ports Authority took delivery of a pair of portal harbour cranes on September 29, 2017. They were ordered to support the Port of Mombasa's resilient port infrastructure initiatives, as well as to mitigate its environmental impacts. African non-profit Trade Mark East Africa (TMA) paid for the cranes using the UK government’s International Climate Fund (ICF) facility, while working closely with the Authority to develop a green port policy. The policy highlights the need to put people first, while addressing the negative impacts of port operations, sustainability of operations, and the need for technology-rich operations. The ICF Fund, which ran from 2011-2016, supported climate change mitigation measures in developing nations. Port of Mombasa aims to leader among ports providing sound stewardship and management of the environment affected by port operations. So far TMA and the authority have carried out short-term, high-impact projects such as improving the accessibility of gate 18/20. Separately, the Kenyan Government’s modernization project has allowed dredging of the entrance channel which has enabled the port to handle larger vessels. It has also helped with upgrading of Yard 5 to increase the capacity at the port. Source: Port Technology

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...

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

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...