Kenya Revenue Authority has commenced clearance of transit cargo from the Port of Mombasa to the newly established Naivasha Inland Container Depot, (NICD) in Naivasha.
In a press statement on Tuesday, KRA acting Commissioner for Customs and Border Control, Pamela Ahago said the transfer is expected to decongest the Port of Mombasa and improve its efficiency.
Consequently, owners of the affected cargo and their clearing agents will have to clear and pick their goods at the new facility.
"The list of cargo that has been moved from the port of Mombasa to the Naivasha ICD can be accessed on KRA’s website and will progressively be updated on a daily basis," she said.
"The KRA office at the Naivasha ICD is now operational with a marshaling area having the capacity to hold 700 trucks at any given time. The Customs offices have equally been deployed with relevant skilled staff".
According to KRA, the new inland port is anticipated to boost storage of cargo mainly those destined for the EAC Partner States - Uganda, South Sudan, Northern Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Transport CS James Macharia last week said cargo containers being transported via SGR will be lined up at Naivasha to be tracked through the Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System.
The CS has further said that the containers either full or empty on the meter gauge rail will be delivered to the ICD before being transported to the Port of Mombasa via SGR.
"The facility has a One Stop Centre (OSC) model where all key government agencies offer their services to clients. Regional revenue authorities including UgandaRevenue Authority, Rwanda Revenue Authority, Tanzania Revenue Authority, and Burundi Revenue Authority are also housed at the OSC. This model ensures a synchronized placement and verification process at the ICD," Ahago said.
