Shippers Council pushes for unity among state agencies at Mombasa port

By MACHARIA KAMAU

The Shippers Council for East Africa is pushing for a unified approach to business among state agencies at the Port of Mombasa.

Different government institutions — including the Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards and the Kenya Revenue Authority — are stationed at the port, with each agency operating independently, making it cumbersome for importers to clear goods.

The Shippers Council noted that the agencies operate within different frameworks and without consultation, which forces businesses to go through unnecessary steps when clearing cargo.

To counter this, the council and TradeMark East Africa have developed a framework that would bind the port community to specific actions, obligations and timelines.

The framework, which is contained in a charter drawn up by the two organisations, aims to address the barriers to seamless trade at the port and Northern Corridor.

It also outlines the procedures to be followed when identifying and assigning responsibilities to individual institutions.

“The problem is that every state facilitation agency implements programmes without collective consultations and due regard to the ramifications to other stakeholders,” said the council.

“The charter will ensure everyone conforms to one stipulated framework to collectively increase efficiency at the port.”

The charter also stipulates guidelines for a self-monitoring and evaluation.

The council added that to actualise the objectives of the charter, the Mombasa Port Corridor Community would be required to subscribe to key performance indicators that would be monitored regularly.

TradeMark East Africa and the Shippers Council presented the charter to Transport Principal Secretary Nduva Muli last month, with the expectations that the government would incorporate it into the evaluation of state agencies involved in maritime transport and logistics.