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| Dar Port |
Kenya
Port Authority (KPA) is losing business to rival Dar es Salaam port as delay in
cargo clearance in Mombasa prompts traders from neighbouring countries to turn
to Tanzania.
Data
from KPA shows that the Mombasa port handled 18.9 per cent less or 552,449
tonnes of cargo from Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and the DRC in the nine months
to September.
As
a result, the port relied on Uganda and South Sudan—that have little choice on
their logistic corridor—to grow its export cargo volumes to 3.9 million tonnes
in the nine months compared to 3.8 million tonnes in the same period last year.
Shippers
attribute the trend to the shorter period it takes to transport cargo from the
port of Dar es Salaam compared to Mombasa which is facing congestion that has
seen transporters take more than a month to reach Rwanda from three weeks.
“We
are losing business to Tanzania because of inefficiency at the port,” said
Gerald Kagumo, the vice chairman of East Africa Freight Forwarders Association.
With
the reform going on there (Tanzania), Kenya is going to lose even more
business, said Mr Kagumo.
Tanzania Port Authority has announced a $1.4 billion
(Sh120 billion) upgrade with its eye on South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda and
Burundi—which are also key target markets for the Kenya port, also on the
expansion trail.
Source: Business Daily www.businessdailyafrica.com: reported by GITHUA KIHARA
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