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East Africa cargo through Mombasa port up 120pc

Thursday July 31 2014

The volume of cargo that pass through Mombasa Port to other regional markets grew by 120 per cent in the first half of the year.

The ports manager ties the good report to expanded infrastructure and efficiency.

Data released by Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) on Wednesday show that trans-shipment business at the Mombasa facility more than doubled to 158,085 tonnes by June, up from 71,996 tonnes over similar period last year.

The figures also indicate that the volume of home-bound cargo rose by 12.8 per cent in the first six months of this year.

“Besides the increase in overall cargo output, the volume of goods destined for neighbouring countries notably Uganda, has risen. This growth is due to the extra berth, improved efficiency in cargo handling and removal of non-tariff barriers,” said KPA managing director Gichiri Ndua.

The total cargo throughput (all cargo passing through the port) between January and June rose to 11.9 million tonnes from 10.5 million tonnes in a similar period last year. KPA projects the volume of business to surpass the 22 million tonnes handled in 2013.

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Red tape

The government has made changes at the Mombasa port to boost efficiency after landlocked states complained.

The figures show Uganda cargo increased by 14.4 per cent to 2.72 million tonnes compared to 2.38 million tonnes in 2013. Cargo to Rwanda was up 12.5 per cent to 110,540 tonnes while Burundi cargo grew by only 0.8 per cent.

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