By PATRICK BEJA

Various players at the port of Mombasa have protested at recent contracting of agents to carry out inspection of imported second hand vehicles for radiation compliance at a levy.

Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (Kifwa), Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Association (Feafa) and Car Importers Association of Kenya (CIAK) want Analytical Quality Services (AQS) awarded a tender to screen the vehicles from Japan stopped following additional costs.

Instead, they want the Radiation Protection Board to use Kenya Ports Authority (KPA)  to inspect the vehicles saying it has the capacity and machines to do so.

But KPA promised to address the complaints in the next one month.

KPA general manager in charge of operations Captain Twalib Khamis said a  committee comprising Kenya Maritime Authority, Radiation Protection Board and KPA has been set up to address the grievances.

“KPA is willing to assist in the screening of cars. The committee is coming up with the procedure,” Mr Khamis said.

He said currently KPA was carrying out the screening of containers that could be extended to cover vehicles.

Kifwa Mombasa branch chairman Roy Mwanthi noted that the agent introduced two month ago was charging Sh5,000 to Sh7,000 for a car of engine capacity of between 3,000 cc and 5,000 cc and those over 5,000 cc attracted Sh9,000  per unit.

Mr Mwanthi claimed the agent awarded the vehicle screening tender only covered two of 17 container freight stations, adding that the effective inspection should be at the port of loading the vehicles or by KPA.

He urged the Government to enforce the use of KPA machines to screen the imported vehicles.

“The vehicles should be inspected at the port of loading because when they arrive in Mombasa the Kenyan ship pilots and drivers who move the cars to CFSs come into contact and can be affected if they have radioactive materials,” Mwanthi argued.

Mr Mwanthi said cars issued with certificates of compliance being shipment in Japan should be exempted from the screening in Mombasa.

Feafa Vice President and businessman Hezron Awiti Bolo said the radiation screening was a Government initiative and should not attract fees.

He asked the Kenya Maritime Authority to intervene and stop the controversial screening, saying it was not useful to the country and only added to the cost of doing business at the port.

 “The screening of cars causes unnecessary delays and can lead to congestion in the long run,” Mr Bolo said.

CIAK Chairman Peter Otieno said the Kenya Bureau of Standards already has foreign pre-shipment inspection agents who carry out screen in the country of original for cargo.

“The local inspection should only apply to the few that are shipped in without pre-inspection during the shipment which will be minimal,” Mr Otieno said.

The port receives about 10,000 second hand vehicles a month.