​KPA holds Stakeholders sensitisation workshop on port efficiency

Mombasa – March 14, 2017

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) on Tuesday held a sensitisation and capacity building workshop for its customers and stakeholders at a Mombasa hotel on speedy cargo clearance at the Port of Mombasa.

The Authority's one-day capacity building and sensitisation workshop intended to positively ensure efficient service delivery with a view to increasing customer satisfaction.

General Manager Operations Mr. Sudi Mwasinago (Right) opened the workshop on behalf of the Managing Director.

KPA Managing Director Mrs. Catherine Mturi-Wairi said the Authority organised the workshop aware of the growing cargo handling capacity at the Port of Mombasa which has led to business expansion.

In a speech delivered on her behalf during the opening of the workshop by KPA's General Manager Operations Mr. Sudi Mwasinago, the MD said the Authority was committed to undertaking sensitisation sessions for customers and stakeholders on port clearance procedures in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

"This is the Authority's first workshop for its customers and stakeholders, geared towards enhancement of speedy clearance of cargo. The reason we have embarked on this exercise is because of our commitment to improving service delivery," said the managing director.

She noted that being in a very competitive and dynamic industry, shippers and their agents required adequate preparations to avoid storage and other penalties caused by lack of preparedness which result in cargo overstay.

"These education sessions will therefore focus on encouraging expeditious clearance of cargo at the port, while specifically addressing service delivery gaps within its systems that have been identified during business transactions with the customers," added Mrs. Mturi-Wairi.

                                                                 A section of the stakeholders follow the workshop's proceedings.

Emphasising on the topics to be covered at the workshop namely; ease of doing business, customer service charter and ethics and integrity, the MD described the port as a transit point saying "shippers therefore need to be informed of the need to ensure that once the goods are received in the port, they need to be cleared as fast as possible."

This she added will enable the port to operate more efficiently, with reduced dwell time of containers and absence of congestion mainly caused by uncleared containers.

Without good governance she noted that the region would not achieve efficient and effective business and urged the stakeholders to embrace good corporate governance.

Mr. Joab Omole  of Kenya Revenue Authority making a presentation on  Single Customs Territory (SCT).

"The Authority is aware that corruption practices have been a hindrance to effective and efficient service delivery to customers. There is therefore need to reinforce and combine efforts in this area to enhance the business processes and meet customer expectations."    

Besides KPA, the other stakeholders expected to make presentations at the workshop are; Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kenya Ships Agents Association (KSAA) and Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (KIFWA).