Cargo destined for East Africa Community partner states will now be cleared in Naivasha.

In a statement, the Kenya Revenue Authority said it has commenced movement of transit cargo from the Port of Mombasa to the newly established Naivasha Inland Container Depot, (NICD).

“This means that owners of the affected cargo and their clearing agents will clear and pick their goods at the new facility. The list of cargo that has been moved from the Port of Mombasa to the Naivasha ICD can be accessed on KRA’s website and will progressively be updated on a daily basis.

 KRA added that its office at the Naivasha ICD is now operational with a marshaling area having the capacity to hold 700 trucks at any given time.

On May, 7 Cabinet Secretary for Transport Mr. James Macharia led a delegate of Government officials at the facility to release the first 200 TUEs cargo that was on transit to Uganda. During the event, the CS emphasized the government commitment in facilitating regional trade. He also noted that the completion of the station would help in containing the spread of Covid-19 as track drivers will not have to go for the cargo in Nairobi or Mombasa.

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This follows the launch of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) freight services from Syokimau to Suswa by President Uhuru Kenyatta in December last year. The Naivasha transshipment station has halved the tracking journey for businesses in Western Kenya and other East African Community (EAC) countries.

KRA says it is well equipped to handle the huge capacity expected from Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi at the facility.
The facility has a One Stop Centre (OSC) model where all key government agencies offer their services to clients.

Regional revenue authorities including Uganda Revenue Authority, Rwanda Revenue Authority, Tanzania Revenue Authority, and Burundi Revenue Authority are also housed at the OSC. This model ensures a synchronised placement and verification process at the ICD.

The facility brings together various government agencies including Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Ports Authority, and Kenya Railways.