(4 minutes read)
· Kenya has signed crucial agreements on transport, security and trade with the Democratic Republic of Congo
· This will signal a boost to bilateral trade between the two countries
· The protocol was signed at the bilateral meeting between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his DRC counterpart Felix Tshisekedi recently
· The new deal to handle cargo from the port of Mombasa grants the DRC certain privileges for using Kenyan facilities
Kenya has signed crucial agreements on transport, security and trade with the Democratic Republic of Congo. This will signal a boost to bilateral trade between the two countries.
The protocol was signed at the bilateral meeting between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his DRC counterpart Felix Tshisekedi recently. The new deal to handle cargo from the port of Mombasa grants the DRC certain privileges for using Kenyan facilities.
Also, Kenya will offer diplomatic outposts in Goma and Lubumbashi in eastern DRC. This would help ease consular services for traders. The revised agreement on the Maritime Freight Management, would become the basic legal framework in handling all freight cargo coming through Mombasa en route to the DRC.
The deal will address delays on DRC imports by dedicating clearing channels for the goods headed for the DRC market. The arrangement may include specialized yards for goods from Congo. The DRC will deploy at Kenyan ports to speed up clearing of goods. Kenya and DRC bilateral trade last year was Sh1.8 billion. Of that, 70 per cent of the trade was goods sold to eastern DRC. Mombasa handles only less than 15 per cent of the share of goods sent to DRC. The rest of the trade mostly is routed through Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Beira in Mozambique. Both sides also will harmonize the fees charged on goods imported on their territories. Recently, Kenyan drivers had complained of high fees while delivering goods to the DRC.
Both countries complained of stiff non-tariff barriers, although they have a Bilateral Air Service Agreement. The new deal, officials say, should address the anomalies. Both countries also have signed a defense cooperation agreement that covers policing, war on terrorism, maritime and aviation security and immigration, which will also handle future issues on customs.
