NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 13 – The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) has launched a campaign to increase consumer awareness on postal and courier services in the country.
Speaking during the launch on Tuesday, CCK Acting Director General Francis Wangusi said postal and courier security was becoming increasingly important globally in light of terrorist attacks carried out through the medium.
“The commission has a responsibility to ensure that it educates consumers on the dangers posed by those using the postal system for unscrupulous and destructive causes. While the abuse of the postal system in Kenya is very limited it is important to sensitise our consumer,” he said.
However, security in the postal industry remains in dire need of improvement with only two screening machines at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and the exchange offices in Mombasa, both run by the Postal Corporation of Kenya.
A survey conducted last week by CCK revealed that no screening is carried out at points of entry on cross-border mail that is usually prone to terrorist and illegal paraphernalia.
CCK said it was consulting the Kenya Revenue Authority to facilitate the acquisition of more screening machines, and further urged postal and courier operators to install screening devices.
Worth Sh15 billion, the Kenyan postal and courier industry continues to grow with over 100 licensed postal and courier operators in the country to date.
Wangusi said that with the postal industry quickly developing and gaining popularity, stiff competition becomes an issue in the sub-sector as firms try to increase their market share at any costs.
“With competition, there could be some unscrupulous postal and courier providers who are out to shortchange customers,” he warned.
The Sh60 million campaign dubbed kaa macho will be rolled out countrywide sensitising the public on issues affecting the quality of services in the postal industry, such as safety, mail fraud, complaints handling and consumer rights among others.
When it comes to filing complaints, a 2010/2011 Synovate survey showed that most Kenyan consumers do not know that they have a right to complain.
This finding, CCK said, explains the small percentage of complaints being lodged to service providers by dissatisfied consumers.
Most recorded consumer complaints concerned pilferage, delay and loss of postal articles.
Wangusi said he hopes the campaign will empower and inform Kenyans on how to exercise their basic rights and responsibilities while doing business in the postal courier line.
