The Kenya government has protested a new move by the South Sudan government requiring all the vehicles entering the country to pay a fee. South Sudan wrote to its counterparts in Kenya, informing that the vehicles entering South Sudan will pay an annual fee of US $ 100 and a furherUS$ for every entry and exit per vehicle effective from 1st March of this year.
“It is informed that the government of South Sudan is taking this measure to enhance data collection of vehicles entering and leaving the country and their occupations. Unfortunately for Kenya, this will make South Sudan an expensive destination,” Dr. Bruno Linyuri, Trade Secretary in the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development in Kenya said.
South Sudan was first put on the spotlight in late 2020 for charging visa entry fees on residents of the other East African Partner States. This came in the wake of the industry players seeking to have the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan join the Single Customs Territory (SCT) in a bid to enhance the seamless flow of the cargo along the corridor and border crossing points
Nimule-Elegu OSBP is the main border post between South Sudan and Uganda and the busiest land border in South Sudan where most goods imported from Uganda are processed. The OSBP has been recording an average of 160 trucks crossing the border daily.
On March 2, 2016, the East African Community Heads of State Summit admitted South Sudan as its newest member. A report by the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA) that gave recommendations based on its first 14 observatory reports offered a raft of measures for free movement of goods across the region, which included expansion of a list of goods cleared through the Single Customs Territory.
To ease clearance of the cargo, the report recommended the need to synchronize all Single Window Systems. Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda have already established functional single window systems. These systems provide a platform on which Partner Government Agencies (PGA) can clear cargo online. The process of automating customs processes in South Sudan is currently ongoing.
The report recommended the implementation of the Regional Customs Transit Guarantee and Single Customs Declaration for the region and other trade facilitation platforms.
To minimize fresh declarations and bonding of goods at the border stations, the report proposed use of Regional Customs Transit Bonds for all goods whose tax is not paid to reduce border crossing and delays.
