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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has increased the free storage period for Transit cargo.
Speaking to KPA stakeholders in Kampala, Betty Mkonyi, the KPA Country Representative to Uganda, said that apart from investing in state-of-the-art equipment and completing the new container terminal to increase capacity and cater to the rising demand, they have also increased the free storage period for Transit cargo from 9 to 15 days.
According to Mkonyi, that means that after 15 days, containers that overstay up to 21 days would pay $30 per 20-ft container and $60 for a 40-ft container. After 21 days, each 20-ft container would be charged $45 and $90 for each 40-ft container.
Mombasa Port, ranked among the top ten ports in Africa, acts as a vital hub to Western Europe, Asia, the Americas, and the Far East. But whereas the historical Port enjoys the strategic advantage of being positioned on key global trade routes over the major water bodies including the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea, and although various initiatives have been employed to expand the port, it is yet to realize its full potential.
However, the Government of Kenya together with its Northern Corridor partners, is investing heavily in a multi-modal infrastructure network to link to the port using road, water, and railway modes of transport.
Maj. Gen. (Rtd) George Owinow, Kenyan High Commissioner to Uganda commended KPA for the improved efficiency and professionalism, which he said are leading to the growth of trade in the Great Lakes Region.
Owinow said that KPA deserves credit for the amount of effort they have put into the development of the port of Mombasa and its auxiliary facilities so as to achieve more efficiency and quality of operations for better trade on the Northern Corridor.
“Mombasa Port is vital for the efficient operation of the Northern Corridor because of the connectivity with the rest of the world, all the way up to Uganda, Rwanda, DR Congo, and South Sudan, so I want to commend you for that,” he said.
He also acknowledged the respective Governments for working together for the development of the infrastructure network across the Corridor and for diversifying it into road, railway, and water modes of transport.
In recent months, the Kenyan Government has introduced a raft of measures aimed at improving efficiency at the Port of Mombasa including a directive from Kenyan President, William Samoei Ruto that the port must operate 24 hours every day in alignment with all Government Agencies and cargo handlers.
According to KPA, Uganda is the biggest user of Mombasa Port after Kenya, accounting for 24 percent market share.
A total of 6 million tonnes of cargo destined for Uganda went through Mombasa annually, which handles about 80 percent of Uganda’s imports and exports.
Tanzania’s Dar-es-Salaam takes 10 percent, and the rest through other ports and Entebbe Airport. Other destinations are South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania.
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