Uganda chamber of Commerce lauds KPA for promoting business

A Cargo vessel arrives at the port of Mombasa.[Maarufu Mohamed,Standard]

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has won accolades from the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Secretary General of the Chamber Ezra Rubanda said traders in Uganda had  noted positive developments in their businesses following initiatives put in place by KPA.

"In the past, we used to face a lot of challenges such as cargo loss especially through clearing agents but at the moment, that has reduced drastically because of the intervention measures by KPA," Mr Rubanda said.

Rubanda, who is also the head of Trade Policy, Research and Advocacy at the Chamber, said the transit time from Mombasa to Kampala had also reduced from the previous 24 days to five days.

The official was part of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) delegation that paid a courtesy call on KPA Managing Director Catherine Mturi-Wairi yesterday.

"We thank KPA because we are noticing a lot of changes in port operations," he added.

Ms Wairi assured the delegation of KPA's commitment in handling cargo efficiently and remaining competitive in the region and beyond.

"Last year, the port handled 1.091 million TEUs (Twenty-Foot Units) and the overall throughput grew by 2.4 per cent to post the best ever performance of 27.36 million tonnes," said Wairi.