NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 19 – The nominee for Transport and Public Works Kipchumba Murkomen has pledged to boost the technological infrastructure along the border points to ease the congestion of trucks along the Northern Corridor.
Murkomen while appearing before the National Assembly appointments committee Wednesday pointed out that the congestion along the Malaba border has been occasioned by poor technological network being used by the Kenya Revenue Authority to clear trucks.
“As a result of the technology being used sometime even its about internet being used. We will be able to work with the relevant ministries of Finance and the Kenya Revenue Authority to ensure they put in place modern technology for the clearance of goods,” he said.
“If I am approved, I will ensure that the Kenya Highway Authority put in place latest technology to make sure the weighing of goods is expedited,” Murkomen added.
Malaba border post has, for a long time, been characterized by endless queues of trucks extending as far as 25km along the Bungoma-Malaba highway.
The border town situated in Teso North District along the northern corridor serves as an entry point of goods to Uganda and as far as The Democratic Republic of Congo and Southern Sudan. This puts Malaba town on the map of Eastern Africa as a very important terminal.
Murkomen told the committee that he will initiate plans to put in place a parking so as to ease the congestion as trucks have been parking alongside the road as they await clearance.
The cabinet nominee mentioned that the parking will raise revenue for the country as they will put in place mechanisms for truck drivers to pay for the parking.
“The parking area along that border is congested and we are calling about the county government of Busia to invest in that so that we can create a supplement for parking and we can collect revenue from it,” Murkomen said.
This comes amidst plans by the Kenya Ports Authority to construct a 1.8 billion marshalling yard in the Malaba border that will create parking for the trucks.
In February, top KPA officials toured the 22-acre piece of land on which the yard will be built, to ascertain the project’s viability and ensure there is no encroachment that will hinder construction works on the property.
