Taveta-Holili border post cuts clearance time by 96 per cent • 2017-08-14

Cargo clearance time at the new Taveta-Holili border post has been reduced significantly from eight hours to 15 minutes, improving intra-trade between Kenya and countries along the Central corridor.

The Kenya Revenue Authority has attributed the faster service to the newly launched One Stop Border Post.

Under the OSBP framework, officials from Kenya and Tanzania are stationed on either side of the two borders, reducing bottlenecks and avoiding duplication of clearance procedures for goods and people.

Taveta customs and border control manager Daniel Nyambaka said the reduction in clearance time has increased the inflow of goods into Kenya, mainly cereals from Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania.

“Clearing agents had to walk for a long distance from the Tanzanian border to the Kenyan one to clear their goods. After this facility was brought up, it only takes 15 minutes to clear a truck heading to Kenya from Tanzania,” Nyambaka told journalists at the border on Saturday.

Project manager Daniel Muturi said the previous process could take up to 33 hours to clear cargo trucks. Clearing of passengers now takes about 10 minutes from five hours.

“A joint verification is done at the OSBP thus reducing the time,” Nyambaka said. “The facility will soon get scanners and a dog unit to ensure quick scrutiny of goods and people.”

Tourism stakeholders and business people have welcomed the project launched on March 2. It became the first OSBP to be operationalised among the 15 OSBPs being set up regionally, funded by TradeMark Africa.

“The initiative is time-saving and the inspection is quick, and thus saves us a lot of money,” said Gasper Peter, a car importer.

Eliud Mangana, a tour operator from Sungura Safaris said: “It used to take like two hours to clear a tourist, but these days it’s only 30 minutes.” Sarova Taita Hills and Salt Lick Lodges general manager Willie Mwadime said faster clearance of tourists will boost the sector.

Source: The Star Kenya