Police accused of cargo delays on the Northern Corridor

Kenya Ports Authority chairman Mr Danson Mungatana has accused police of hindering the movement of goods along the route by stopping truck drivers during patrols and demanding bribes. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • Drivers who did not comply were frustrated by being made to spend hours in one place.
  • Last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta directed the ports authority, the Kenya Revenue Authority, the Kenya Bureau of Standards and other cargo handling agencies to improve efficiency at the harbour and reduce delivery times of cargo from Mombasa to neighbouring countries from 16 days to five.

The police have been accused of failing to implement the presidential directive on smooth movement of cargo along the Northern Corridor.

Police, according to Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) chairman Danson Mungatana, were hindering the movement of goods along the route by stopping truck drivers during patrols and demanding bribes.

Drivers who did not comply were frustrated by being made to spend hours in one place.

“Despite the orders issued by the President, it seems the police are not ready to see smooth flow of goods along the crucial route. They have turned out to be the major obstacle due to the rampant corruption,” he said on Thursday.

“The non-tariff barriers between Mombasa and Malaba, resulting in the slow movement of goods, also cause congestion at the port. As we try to improve efficiency here, other government agencies should play their part and ensure goods reach their destinations within the shortest period possible,” he added.

Last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta directed the ports authority, the Kenya Revenue Authority, the Kenya Bureau of Standards and other cargo handling agencies to improve efficiency at the harbour and reduce delivery times of cargo from Mombasa to neighbouring countries from 16 days to five.

The measures put in place include removal of all the roadblocks along the Northern Corridor, which serves landlocked countries —Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan — and weighing of transit cargo once at the Mariakani weighbridge.

The Kenya National Highways Authority has since set up weigh-in-motion weighbridges in a bid to ease congestion at the facilities.