Clearing agents protest new rule at Malaba border

Clearing agents at Kenya’s border with Uganda have threatened to boycott work over a new rule implemented at the border point’s customs yard.

The new regulation demands all agents operating in the area be given special passes for identification to improve security and lock out idlers and brokers who have been accused of fleecing unsuspecting travellers and drivers safeguard the borders.

However, the agents said the new rule, which came into effect yesterday, was meant to lock out agents not employed by companies.

Safeguard borders

Addressing the press yesterday in Malaba, Vincent Ikomol, who works at Reliable Freight, said the move would deny independent agents access to the yard they had operated in for more than two decades.

“We believe that the new rule being implemented at the customs yard is retrogressive,” he said.

Mr Ikomol further took issue with the Kenya International Freight Forwarders and Warehousing Association (Kiffwa), saying it had failed to articulate agents’ issues with the rule.

However, Kiffwa’s Malaba branch secretary, Deo Otia, said the new measure was meant to safeguard the country’s borders, particularly in the face of an increased number of terror attacks globally.