This archive report was first published on 22 May 2020.
Kenya has taken a significant step to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by shifting all transit cargo destined for Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan to the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from 1st June 2020.
According to Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development James Macharia, all transit cargo railed to the Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Naivasha will be collected by trucks to the partner states via Busia or Malaba.
He further stated that fuel products will be transported by pipeline to Kisumu and then by Lake Victoria to Port Bell or Jinja.
CS Macharia directed that all transit cargo/containers transported on SGR will be cleared only at ICD at Naivasha to be tracked through the Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System.
Additionally, all exports (both full and empty exports) not railed on metre gauge railway will be delivered to ICD for railage to the Port of Mombasa.
On 12th May 2020, the Heads of State of the East African Community, including President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda, and President Salvar Maryardit Kiir of South Sudan, considered the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region and directed the Ministers responsible for Health, Transport, and EAC Affairs to adopt a Digital Surveillance and Tracking System for drivers.
Following this directive, the Partner States Ministers in charge of Transport have considered appropriate cross-border transportation modalities to reduce human traffic movement without impacting negatively on transportation of cargo across the borders.
The Nairobi–Naivasha SGR Project is part of the proposed Mombasa–Nairobi–Malaba /Kampala Standard Gauge Railway Project, which will reduce the road distance to three Partner States by 600 kilometres and facilitate the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CS Macharia noted that the Kenya Ports Authority has provided office accommodation to the Kenya Revenue Authority, Uganda Revenue Authority, Rwanda Revenue Authority, and the South Sudan Revenue Authority, and deployment of staff to the Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Naivasha is expected to be finalised to ensure smooth clearance of cargo.
