Editorials

EDITORIAL: KRA car move welcome

cars

Imported cars at the port of Mombasa. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The decision by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to let imported vehicles leave the Mombasa port without registration number plates is welcome as it spares the vehicle importers further costs incurred on storage at container freight stations.

However, for the dealers whose vehicles were held up, the reprieve has come too late considering that they have to bear the extra cost, which might in turn, affect their bottom line.

Many of the owners of the about 10,000 vehicles have had to part with between Sh2,000 and Sh6,000 daily for each vehicle in storage costs.

Their sense of grievance is no doubt aggravated by the fact that they have been subjected to losses running into millions of shillings for no fault of their own, yet they have no recourse.

The fact that number plate supply hitches are becoming the default explanation for the frequent vehicle clearance delays at the port betrays a planning and decision-making problem at the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA). This needs to be addressed to create a fair playing field for all importers.

Forward looking decision-making would have saved the importers the millions of shillings already lost in storage costs.

And where the existing systems are not efficient enough, the relevant agencies must consider deploying technology to increase the ease of doing business.