By WILLIS OKETCH and PATRICK BEJA
Clearing and forwarding agents want Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to auction imported goods seized at Mombasa port twice a month to avoid congestion.
Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (Kifwa) said regular auctions would create space for more goods.
Kifwa national chairman Awiti Bolo said more space would enable Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) to allow increased transshipment cargo as bigger ships have started calling the port following its recent widening and deepening.
“We want KRA to auction the goods twice a month to create room in the port and stop congestion,” said Awiti, vice president of the Federation of East Africa Freight Forwarders (FEAFF). However, Awiti urged KRA to ensure the owners of such goods were fully informed of the action.
congestion
But KRA spokesman Mr Kennedy Onyonyi said the authority would auction the goods only at appropriate times. “We cannot auction the goods twice a month as demanded by the agents because we might not have enough people to participate in the exercise,” said Onyonyi.
He said KRA was not ready to increase the number of auctions because this would lead to losses by selling goods cheaply.
A spot check at the port showed that the whole G-section where old vehicles were crashed two years ago has been filled with long stay containers awaiting auction.
Port sources said the containers were located to the G-section during the Rapid Result Initiative (RRI) to beat port congestion, but expressed fear the space could be filled up soon if KRA does not act quickly.
Awiti said the stakeholders also wanted government agencies at the port to be held responsible for any delays of the goods and be made to compensate parties, which register loss due to their actions.
win-win spirit
He asked KRA officials to accept positive criticism and use it to improve the services they provide to port users.
“When goods are delayed because of KRA, the authority should be held accountable instead of passing over expenses such as bonded warehouse charges to importers. KRA should not hide behind revenue protection to cause losses to businesses. It must change its attitude,” said Awiti.
Awiti commended the KPA management for ensuring goods which had arrived at the port were removed immediately after proper documentation.
Speaking during the weekly meeting at the one stop centre on Friday, Mr Emmanuel Hatega, the Uganda Commissioner to Kenya said it is important to to ascertain that all channels of communication and consultations with the owners of the goods are exhausted before an auction is carried out.
“Auctions should be both legally and ethically sound,” he observed.
He said Mombasa Port is an important facility for the whole region and thus every effort must be made by all and sundry to cultivate and uphold a win-win spirit in and for everyone.
