By Patrick Beja
Stakeholders at the port of Mombasa have finally agreed that screening of imported second hand vehicles to detect radioactive material will be done on board ships on arrival.At a meeting convened by the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) on Friday in the wake of the screening dispute, it was agreed that car importers pay Sh1,000 for screening of a vehicle instead of the previous Sh5,000 per unit.
Sh500 would be payable to Government while the rest of the levy would go to the screening agents, according to the new agreement.
Yesterday Mr Roy Mwanthi, Mombasa branch for the Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (Kifwa) welcomed the new proposals saying it is safer to screen the vehicles for radiation aboard ships.
“Instead of the vehicles being screened at the container freight stations outside the port, it will be done even before they leave the ships. It will be safer for Kenyans,” Mwanthi said.
He also said it would be affordable for car imported to pay Sh1,000 for radiation screening and that was why Kifwa accepted the deal.
KMA director general Nancy Karigithu yesterday confirmed that a consultative meeting was held on March 27 this year saying the principle of economies of scale was applied to reduce the current charge from Sh5,000 per unit of vehicle to Sh1000 regardless of the size.
“Similarly, the meeting agreed that because the SOP now provides for screening of the motor-vehicles on-board careers, the principle of economies of scale shall be used by service providers to reduce the current charge of Sh.5,000 per unit to Sh.1000 per unit regardless of size of the motor-vehicle,” she said.Then acting Head of Public Service, Francis Kimemia, through letter Ref No OP/CAB 3/1/7A on August 22 2012 had sounded a warning on possible importation of motor vehicles contaminated with radioactive material, from Japan following an explosion at that country’s Fukushima Nuclear Complex.
On March 12 this year KMA, Radiation Protection Board (RPB), Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to come up with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) which were discussed on March 27 this year by stakeholders.
Car Importers Association of Kenya (CIAK), Kenya Autobazaar Association, RPB, KRA, Analytical Quality Services (AQS) and Kifwa officials attended the meeting.
AQS was awarded the tender to screen the vehicles for radioactive materials. Mwanthi explained that stakeholders would review the screening after six months to assess the prevalence of radiation on imported cars at the port. Last week, Kifwa and other stakeholders had urged Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) that conducts container screening for radiation to extend the service to imported vehicles. CIAK chairman Peter Otieno suggested the screening be conducted at the port of loading the vehicles instead of Mombasa port to avoid costs of re-shipping the vehicles found to have radiation material. Mr 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.
