Transport observatory report of the quarter ending September this year shows that transit time worsened on all the routes except the Taveta one which could be attributable to border crossing challenges due to driver testing requirements for the COVID-19.
Transit time in Kenya is an estimate of the period from the time cargo is removed from the port of Mombasa to the time the export certificate is issued after crossing the border at Malaba, Busia or Taveta for goods exiting Kenya by road.
Based on the Mombasa Port and Northern Corridor Community Charter, the set target for transit time from Mombasa to Malaba is 60 hours by December 2020; and from Mombasa to Busia is 65 hours by December 2020.
The quarterly report done by the Northern Corridor Transit Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA) sampled a total of 7,865 trucks to measure the transit time from the port of Mombasa to Malaba border; 941 trucks for the Mombasa-Taveta route and a total of 605 trucks were sampled for the Mombasa- Busia route.
All these trucks were issued with a certificate of export at the respective borders. In the month of July, the trucks took an average of 111 hours to cross Malaba border. It also took an average of 119 and 132 hour to cross the border in the months of August and September respectively.
To cross the Busia border, a truck took an average of 115 hour in July, 125 hours in August and 108 hours in September.
To cross Taveta border point, a truck took an average of 33 hours in September, 29 and 28 hours respectively for the month of August and September.
COVID-19 containment measures during the quarter included lockdowns, curfews, and social distancing measures which slowed down processes contributing to high transit time. In the review period, drivers were experiencing a long stay at border points as they awaited clearance, with long queues of trucks reported at the Malaba border.
Data reveals an increase in the number of consignments plying the Taveta/Holili route through the Northern Corridor.
“The alternative route to Burundi through Taveta/ Holili is preferred by the transporters due to the shorter distance, low costs and fewer non-tariff barriers (i.e. one border) as opposed to the traditional corridor route which goes through Uganda and Rwanda,” the report said.
All the destinations from Mombasa have seen a higher transit times in the quarter under review, which was occasioned by long time taken for processing of driver COVID-19 test results as a requirement for the COVID-19 health protocol.
It was observed that the truckers could not get a customs release to proceed on their journeys without a valid COVID-19 certificate. The Mombasa- Elegu route was the fastest with an average speed of 9 kms per hour whereas the Mombasa to Kigali route registered an average speed of 6.6 kms per hour during the review period.
There has been immense investment along the corridor to ensure reduction of transit time. The initiatives include improvement and expansion of road infrastructure, implementation of the Single Custom Territory framework for clearance of goods, one-stop border points among others.
Traffic to Kampala from Naivasha ICD was the highest in the sample with 2,205 trucks followed by Kampala – Elegu route with 1,773 trucks and Kampala- Mombasa route with 1,039 trucks. Kampala to Mpondwe route registered 494 trucks, to Oraba route 538 trucks and Kampala to Ntoroko route 395 trucks were sampled for analysis of transit time during the quarter under review.
From the analysis, time taken varied depending on the distance. However, Kampala to Mombasa route was the slowest route averaging 6.6 Kms per hour compared to Kampala to Oraba and Kampala to Elegu routes that averaged 15.6 Kms per hour and 10.4 Kms per hour respectively over the review period. Naivasha ICD to Kampala recorded average speed of 4.3 Kms per hour.
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