Technology reduces lurking danger for truck drivers and goods
“Armed men broke his windscreen and started hitting him with an iron bar. They stole the goods he was carrying and left him for dead. By the time help came, it was too late. He had died from excessive bleeding,”-Patrick Mutinda, former Truck driver. East Africa’s Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking system (RECTS) has many benefits some of which include safety of […]
Mariam Babu – Reformed Smuggler Leading Women Cross-Border Traders on the Path to Self-Reliance
Mariam Babu, 43, a mother of five and grandmother to two who sells eggs in Kenya and salt in Uganda via the Busia border town, is not the image that springs to mind when you think of a smuggler. Yet when she recalls her time bringing in products from Kenya into Uganda through abandoned bush […]
A Green Port. What is It Worth?
A few years ago, the cargo handling section of Mombasa port teamed with dusty and sweaty workers busy hauling heavy packages on their backs, from the warehouses to the waiting lorries. Injuries and chest pains were a norm. One of these workers was Humphrey Agini. He recounts how the polluted and risky work environment caused him […]
“From Jua Kali to Professional” by Janet Wanjiru
It was jua kali – a casual approach to customers. I would try, and if I got it right then good, but if not so what. It’s a job, so I can earn a living. Customers were OK with it but did not respect freight forwarders – we were seen as corrupt. “Miscellaneous charges” were […]
Increasing the Quality and Competitiveness of the EAC- Locally-Manufactured Products, through Product Certification -The Case of Kenya
Context: Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) is a statutory body established under the Standards Act (CAP 496) of the laws of Kenya to ensure that quality products and services are accessible in the market. Under the Kenyan government, all people in Kenya have a right to access quality products and services in the market. This is […]
Raising the benchmark on environmental management: Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) seeks water harvesting solutions
The coastal city of Mombasa experiences heavy rains and flooding several times a year. Whenever the rains pound this historic destination, the storm water causes havoc sometimes resulting in loss of human life and destruction of property. Despite the constant flow of the mighty Tana River into the Indian Ocean and the huge volumes of […]
Achieving gender equality at the port- Kenya’s first female marine pilot
Elizabeth Marami did not really know what she was getting into, when she applied to become a marine captain through the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA). “It was not something that I was interested in as a kid, but I was always up for a challenge. When I got called in and I learnt what it […]
Meeting standards means access to markets for Kenya’s horticultural farmers
Kenya’s horticultural farmers are being trained in good agricultural practices. History has shown us the social and economic transformation that is possible when people can grow enough food. It has also confirmed that when the same people access markets to sell excess produce, generations will feel and enjoy the impacts. Thus, the ability to improve […]