KPA to auction unclaimed cargo

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) is to auction all unclaimed cargo to recover handling charges estimated at Ksh500 million in Mombassa. The move will also reduce congestion at the port. Most of the cargo belongs to importers from Uganda, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The directive says importers and owners of the cargo can approach the Kenyan government through their embassies to have their cargo disposed of in their home countries before auctioning. Meanwhile, KPA has reviewed its storage charges to aid the implementation of the 24 hour 7 days opening time. Under the storage regime, all imported domestic containers have 7 days of free storage, imported full transit containers have 15 days, while transshipment full containers have 21 days of free storage. World Bank Frw13 billion for communication The World Bank approved $24 million (Frw13,158 billion) for the Regional Communication Infrastructure Programme Rwanda Project (RCIPRW). The fund is part of $424 million (Frw232,458b) for improving communications infrastructure and increase the deployment of e-government in the Southern and Eastern Africa region. A statement from World Bank says the project will extend access to broadband. The project will foster Rwanda’s transformation from agricultural based economy to knowledge based into a knowledge based economy by increasing broadband access and cutting connection costs by over 50 per cent. EAC Common Market talks run out of time The third round talks on the East African Community (EAC) Common Market that were held in Bujumbura, Burundi last week ended with negotiations being deferred because of time.Some items adopted on the agenda were not finalised and had to be deferred for next round talks in Kampala. Crucial issues such as free movement of services, right of establishment, transport and competition policy were not agreed upon. According to Prudence Sebahizi, Rwanda’s Chief Negotiator, this was because of the protectionism of countries’ interests as all country representatives on the High Level Task Force were safe guarding national interests. Business slows on Eid As the Muslim community celebrated the end of fasting, business in Kigali hit a low. A survey found that the few businesses that opened were not attracting many customers. Most banks were closed. Ecobank and Rwanda Commercial Bank branches that remained open had few clients. At Ndoli’s Supermarket in Gisementi, Remera customers were trickling in. While in Kimironko market, few market vendors worked. Crystal Supermarket in Kacyiru was not busy. Attendant said most of their customers are office worker who did not work yesterday. Kigali business centre, which is always a beehive of activities, was surprisingly quiet. Nyamirambo, an area popular with Muslims looked quiet. PSF trains business leaders in corporate governance In a bid to promote professional governance of businesses, the Private Sector Federation (PSF), an umbrella organisation of private enterprises in the country, trained the country’s top business leaders in corporate governance. The five-day training workshop held at Hotel Novotel Umubano was to expose participants to the challenges of corporate leadership while sharing experiences and challenges. Susan Mudhune, the Director of the Center for Corporate Governance, said the event aimed to build leadership and team work skills. The training was conducted by experts from the Centre for Corporate Governance of Kenya. According to Emmanuel Hategeka, the PSF Secretary General, the training is part of PSF initiatives aimed at capacity building among Rwandan Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and leaders of partner institutions with competitive leadership skills. The workshop that attracted 25 directors of public institutions and top managers of private companies was sponsored by PSF and cost the federation $1,000 per participant. Ends