The government is mulling a shift from the policy requiring goods to be cleared in the port of origin before being exported into the country.

The move could be a relief to small scale traders who have been waiting for days for their goods to be cleared for entry into the country.

To achieve this, Trade CS Peter Munya said that there are discussions at advanced levels to merge the standards agencies to create a more proactive verification organisation.

The Kenya Copyright Board, Pharmacy and Poisons Board, as well as Kenya Industrial Property Institute (Kippi) among other standards agencies may be affected in the proposed changes.

The CS said the proposal is before the Standards Council and it would be approved by the Cabinet in good time to save traders from the long wait.

“This will strengthen the institutions to have them work in tandem with further reforms which involve incorporating the ACA in the inspection of goods coming into the country.

“These reforms have been in the works for some time. We have concluded the report which we will soon present to Parliament,” the CS added.

He further revealed that the government is setting up the Kenya Trade Remedy Agency (Ketra) to deal with goods from outside the country that are not properly priced.

The agency will also check for substandard or subsidised goods such as cheap milk and cases of dumping.

Munya said this will be a departure from the chaotic situation at the port where multiple agencies operating there make it difficult for people to clear goods.

The government is, therefore, moving from the current system where goods are checked for conformity with standards at the country of origin.

Munya said the requirement for testing goods abroad followed the floodgate of contrabands, a situation that has hurt small scale traders as most of them buy in groups.

“We are reviewing the decision to lift the order. We will allow those who want local inspection to do so and those who prefer abroad to do the same,” Munya said.

“If there are companies that can test the goods out there, why not allow them instead of insisting on one. We want testing bodies of the country of origin to be allowed to test goods, not private entities. Why look for a private agency in the US?” he asked.

He said the national agencies – at the country of origin, will give a better service than the private ones, therefore, will reduce time-wasting and assure quality.

“We better have agencies such as the US’ Food and Drugs Agency (FDA) clear our goods than subject traders to these private entities with competing interests. Some of them are also exporters,” Munya said.

The CS said reforms which were initiated to give the Anti-Counterfeit Agency (ACA) more teeth was a stopgap measure to deal with the proliferation of fakes.

Munya said this yesterday after a fiery exchange with MPs over his continued snubbing of summonses to appear before Parliament to respond to questions.

MPs raised concerns with the CS and reprimanded him for ignoring invites to respond to the matters raised by members, some dating as far back as June.

The Trade Committee, after months of pushing the CS to appear, sought the intervention of Speaker Justin Muturi who wrote to Munya’s office that the official appears.

Chairman Kanini Kega (Kieni MP) told the cabinet secretary to take Parliamentary work seriously saying the situation of the ministry ignoring concerns by MPs was untenable.

“We have correspondences from our end showing we have communicated to your office but it has not been possible for us to meet,” he told Munya.

But Munya, while being asked to allow the MPs prosecute their matter, maintained he had a right to be heard as to the effect of the impression being created that he was not honouring summonses.

“It doesn’t mean that when I appear before this committee, I have to buy the opinion of the chairman. I am trying to say I have not refused to appear before this committee,” the CS said.

He accused Parliament of mismanaging the communication with his office saying there are occasions he has had to ask the House to send questions.

“My ministry involves a lot of travelling and makes it difficult for me to appear. There has been that coincidence when I am required to be here and I am out of the country. We should also recognise I have had to change travel plans to attend to this committee,” the CS said.

Source: The Star

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