CURRENT FUEL SHORTAGE IN KENYA

As of 1st April 2022, the Kenya Transporters Association Ltd (KTA) has observed with great regret and concern the current fuel shortage in the country that is now slowly crippling our road and industrial sector.

Reports received from the logistics and transport industry, and also as reported in the mainstream media indicate the shortage is as a result of oil companies not being able or willing to import adequate quantities of fuel due to the Government of Kenya failing to remit the agreed fuel subsidies owed to them over the last few months.

We appreciated and commended the Government of Kenya’s efforts for establishing the Petroleum Development Levy fund that has been used to cushion Kenyans against abrupt fuel price increases in the last few months.

We however condemn the Government of Kenya for letting this current situation get out of hand and not resolving this critical issue beforehand. The suffering of Kenyans as a consequence of this situation is unimaginable and unbearable.

Fuel is a matter of national security.

This situation should not be allowed to persist. We call upon the Government of Kenya and the oil companies to urgently and immediately resolve the situation before it further develops into total mayhem.

On Behalf of the Board

Newton Wang’oo
Chairman
Kenya Transporters Association

PARKING AND CLAMPING OF TRUCKS IN MOMBASA COUNTY

KTA Delegation led by Mr. Newton Wangoo, (Chairman), Mr. Ahmed Juneja, (Executive Director), and Mr. Walter Misama (Admin Officer), paid a courtesy call to Ms. Maya Hassan, the in charge of the Mombasa Parking Unit, and Mr. Ali K. Ali, her Deputy.

This is in response to member outcry on the clamping of member trucks within the county of Mombasa and specifically the Kibarani area. KTA sought to enquire when the clamping of motor vehicles begins, and it was noted that the County Parking Unit reports to work at 6a.m, thus clamping might begin as early as 6 a.m.

For ease of doing business, KTA proposed and requested that the county be a little more flexible and begin clamping trucks after 8am this is in cognizance of the fact that some offices/finance teams in these transport companies resume work slightly past at 0800hrs a request that was granted after deliberations.

Some items highlighted in the meeting included:

  • The County to roll out alert messages prior to clamping. This will be deliberated in future.
  • That some drivers are extremely disrespectful to parking attendants.
  • That the company should designate one individual to pay for parking fees, and payments should be done on time, and that to make receiving notifications easier, the company should register all of its vehicles under a single number.

When a truck is physically clamped and you break the clamp, you face a potential fine of Ksh. 100,000. Under the county laws, This is noted as malicious damage to County property. 

The Kibarani (makupa causeway) parking is not a free parking zone and it was KTA's request that a notice be placed at the entrance for transporters and drivers in particular to be sensitized

CHIEF JUSTICE ROUNDTABLE 2022 - KEPSA

Establishment of instant fines and separation of traffic offences from the transporter and a driver has been a matter of concern for the road transport sector. Kenya Transporters Association had the priviledge to attend the KEPSA round table meeting with the judiciary led by the Chief Justice, Lady Martha Koome.

The Judiciary in partnership with the office of the DPP has been working to actualise the issue of instant fines for traffic offences. To finalise the process, there will be a committee that will include the private sector whose agenda will be to review the procedure and standards set for the instant fines process before and after its inauguration later in April or May 2022.

The Judiciary also encouraged the meeting to make do of the accredited mediators and or help identify mediators that can be used and accredited by the judiciary to handle matters out of court. Cases under mediation are to be finalised within seventy days maximum, then advise the court in writing.

KTA will be invited to the Court Users Committees meetings across the country that aim to listen and sensitise the locals on areas of interests. Sample scenario is a court users committee meeting to be held in Mombasa, where KTA is invited.

The Police are also being sensitised on various matters under a program dubbed 'Policare'. 

As an association, through the secretariat, we wait for the official invitation to the Committee before the launch of the instant fines, we kindly request from Members cases (case number, name of court and the case name) that have not been finalised for the past 10 years.

BUSIA: JOINT BORDER COMMITTEE

In an effort to mitigate inefficiencies amongst stakeholders at the border town of Busia, they regularly hold joint stakeholder meetings. There are varying scenarios and occurrences discussed and their tentative solutions, with some already implemented. In the most recent of these discussions amongst items/challenges mentioned included:

  • Forgery cases are on the rise. Transporters were urged to use their clerks (with proper identification) or tagged identified as KIFWA agents for clearing and payment purposes at the border.
  • KRA Busia Staff have been trained to arm and disarm REACTS  Seals the need for officers to travel from Kisumu is deemed unnecessary and a barrier to trade
  • Officer in Charge of Customs, Uganda asked transporters ( KTA) to report on any harassment by Ugandan Police and or any form of extortion while approaching the OSBP.
  • Transporters who do not have ready documents are asked to park trucks outside the town, thus they should not join the queue. If found contravening this request, URA will confiscate the number plates.
  • Fine for forgery for a clearing agent/clerk is USD. 5,000;
  • Scanner Image analysis at the Busia border for trucks heading to Uganda should not take more than 10 minutes.
  • Long room operations delays experienced due to a shortage of staff at the border, the meeting  agreed that the office will be working up to 23:00 hrs every day.
  • KEBS: On Cereals Consignments committed to be collecting samples for trucks along the queue to shorten the amount of time spent at the customs yard waiting for results.
  • There are a few categories of consignments that will be allowed to move 24/7 among them are, empties, mostly tankers heading to Kisumu, armed transit consignments and cereals.

 

THANK YOU UGANDA GOVERNMENT

FOR ALLOWING FULLY VACCINATED DRIVERS TO CROSS INTO UGANDA WITHOUT BEING REQUIRED TO PRESENT VALID PCR TEST RESULT

Kenya Transporters Association Ltd wishes to wholeheartedly thank the Uganda Government for the decision to allow fully vaccinated drivers to cross into Uganda without the requirement to present a valid negative PCR test result.

For the drivers who are not fully vaccinated they will be required to present valid PCR test results to be allowed to cross into Uganda or into Kenya.

This is also to align with the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers decision to apply common Covid-19 protocols when crossing EAC borders.

The Government of Kenya had already implemented these protocols and fully vaccinated drivers are allowed to enter Kenya without having to present valid PCR tests results.

We wish to request the remaining countries in the EAC Region (Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo) to urgently allow fully vaccinated drivers to cross into their borders to deliver essential goods without having to present valid PCR test results.

We are one people one region and our livelihoods are interdependent.

On Behalf of the Board

Newton Wang’oo
Chairman
Kenya Transporters Association

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