Kenya Ports Authority reassures Uganda business community

By David Mugabe

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) officials were in Uganda last week reassuring the local business community of efforts to overhaul the facility to meet the growing demand and increase efficiency.

“We have come here because we know you (Uganda Business Community) form an integral part of the Mombasa port community, Uganda is the second largest user of the Port of Mombasa after Kenya, and as such we must always strive to understand each other and work together for mutual benefit,” said Gichiri Ndua, KPA chief.

He was speaking to the local business community who applauded the efforts at meeting the growing expectations to one of the most critical facilities to the region’s business.

Under the Mombasa Port Development programme, Ndua said the construction of the 240 meters long berth No.19, pending commissioning.

He said the current container terminal quay is now 840 meters long up from the previous 600 meters. The Port can, therefore, comfortably berth three ships with an average length of 250 meters.

He also said construction of the second container terminal is almost half-way through.

Kassim Omar, the chairman of the Uganda Clearing Industry and Forwarding Association, however, asked KPA to weed out corrupt officials who deliberately delay cargo movement as they solicit for bribes.

KPA disclosed that Mombasa port has been handling more containers than what it was built for. For instance, it handled 700,000 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUS) in 2011 against a designed capacity to handle 250,000 TEUS.

KPA also said customs procedures account for more than 80% of the cargo dwell time although the port authorities take most of the flak for delays.

“KPA is calling customs to cut this dwell time by half to save importers costs that accompany delays,” read a statement.