End this cargo congestion blame game at the port

At the port of Mombasa, a cargo pile-up has left importers in a quandary as the blame-game over who is responsible rages.

This is not how to run the business gate-way to East Africa! The least that the importers want is efficiency at the port and when they ask these questions, they should not be treated to this lame blame-game.

The pile-up is now forcing the consumers to pay a hefty price and while Kenya Revenue Authority is warning importers - who do not collect their cargo within the specified period - that they will have to pay new penalties, we are worried that we are addressing the effect rather than the cause.

The Kenya Shippers Council blames the pile-up on systems failure at the Kenya Ports Authority-run Kilindini Waterfront and Tax Operating Systems (KWATOS) and KRA’s Simba 2005 system. Surely, these are things we can fix.

The shippers also say that the loading equipment at the harbour has frequently been breaking down leading to the congestion.

For its part, the KRA has been telling us that the Judiciary is to blame. They say that the courts have been issuing orders that bar the tax-collector from auctioning some of the containers that have been lying at the port – some for more than 10 years.

We are simply getting tired of this roulette.

While both KPA and KRA should spare us the details, we also find it inordinate on the part of courts when they frustrate the smooth operations at the port.

While KRA and KPA should own up to their failures, the court process should also not be abused by importers to frustrate law and order. Rather, it should be used to assert rights and protect obligations.

The days when the corridors of justice were citadels of dishonesty and hiding bushes of near-do-well importers are long gone.
Having said that, it is upon all the stakeholders to carry out their duties and fulfil the obligations that are required of them.

These bodies, together with the shippers, should work in tandem to make sure that consumers get the best. But this cannot happen when the institutions are in denial of their failings and stage blame games to avoid scrutiny.

From the shippers to Judiciary, and from KPA to KRA, we trust that the answers to the congestion lies within your domain. But how will that be resolved with constant bickering? In the new dispensation, we will demand answers very soon.