29/10/2014
MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Maritime and shipping
1. The Port of Mombasa registered a 1.8 per cent growth in cargo output - from 21.9 million tonnes in 2012 to 22.3 million in 2013 December. This was due to initiatives by the Government.
2. All Government agents at the port operationally report to the CEO of Kenya Ports Authority. This was intended to break up bureaucracy caused by decision makers answerable to different organisations with different mandates. They include KRA’s Commissioner of Customs and Kenya Bureau of Standards, among others.
3. The Commissioner of Customs to be stationed in Mombasa so that all issues regarding cargo clearance can be addressed immediately to avoid delay
4. All police roadblocks along the Northern Corridor from the Port to Malaba removed and police to intensify highway patrols for security.
5,At weighbridges, cargo is now only weighed at the entry and exit points to avoid delays and corruption
6.Increase of axle load limit to 52 tonnes in line with an East African Community agreement.
7.Trucks from Mombasa reach Malaba or Busia in 4.8 days down from 15 days in the past
8.Cargo dwell time at the port in has gone down to 6 days from 7.1 in 2012 and ship turnaround time has reduced from 4.5 days in 2012 to 3.7 days
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9. Commissioning of Berth 19 was done in April last year
10. The port was dredged - 13.5 metres deep - and can now dock and handle three vessels of up to 250 metres each at once
11. KPA has opened two liaison offices in the EAC to take the port closer to users. In July last year, Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary opened the first KPA office in Bujumbura, Burundi, and Kampala Uganda.
12. KPA is implementing the Integrated Security System, which is at 99 per cent completion, to protect the port. The system is computerised and fitted with intrusion detection perimeter fence, more than 500 CCTV cameras monitoring the port and its environs and biometric gates.
13. Already, preliminary works for the construction of the first three berths of the Lamu Port, including a perimeter wall, four-storey administration building, installation of power and water supply, is complete. (Lappset)
Ferry services
14. Reduction on the average waiting time and increase of ferry frequency
• Increased ferry reliability turnaround to seven minutes at peak time
• Smooth operation in segregation of vehicular and human traffic, especially at peak times
• Revenue collection has increased from Sh344 million in 2012 to Sh389 million Dec 2013
15. All ferries are now equipped with safety equipment such as floaters, life jackets, buoys, rafts and rings.
16. The ministry, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development and key maritime players developed a new curriculum for certificate and diploma courses in maritime transport and logistics. This will ensure that many Kenyans enroll in the country rather than abroad.
Rail
17. Construction of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway has started. Laying started last week.
18. The Kenya Railways started operations of the Nairobi Commuter Rail in November last year by opening the Syokimau Railway Station. In December, the Makadara and Imara Daima railway stations were opened. This will improve mobility in urban areas.
19. Contractor and consultancy firms for the construction of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport-Nairobi city centre commuter line have been identified and construction begins this month.
Aviation
20. Air traffic demand in Kenya has increased. The expansion of JKIA, Kisumu and Isiolo airports, and rehabilitation of aerodromes will have a huge effect to the local, regional and county economies.
21.A 2.5 million passenger temporary terminal is also under construction and will be complete before the end of this year
22.KAA broke ground for the New Green Field Terminal in December last year. When complete, it will handle 20 million passengers a year
23.Terminal 4 works have been speeded up and it will be open fby end of year
24.Construction of phase two of the Kisumu International Airport includes the apron that is 98 per cent complete, the taxiway (98 per cent) and car park (86.7 per cent)
25.The government has negotiated five new Bilateral Air Services Agreements with South Sudan, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Iceland and Jamaica. It has also reviewed 16 with Austria, Czech Republic, Botswana AND Singapore, among others. The objective is to facilitate expansion of the route network of local designated airlines and to increase frequencies to various markets.
26.Kenya’s achievement of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices based on last May’s audit was 78.4 per cent compared to 66 per cent in 2008. Kenya is among the top four in aviation safety in Africa.
Road safety programme
27. Formation of the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) through the NTSA Act 2012 brought the functions of road transport under one roof, including those formerly under the National Road Safety Council, Motor Vehicle Inspection Unit, Road Transport Department, Transport Licensing Board, Driver Training and Testing Unit.
28. The authority has rolled out road safety awareness and enforced campaigns using mobile courts together with the ministry, NTSA, Judiciary, traffic police and prisons.
29. Public Service Vehicles Regulations have been gazetted. The objective is make owners take charge of their business and regulate safety, traffic laws compliance and customer service.
30. The ministry has re-introduced alcohol breathalysers (alcoblow) to curb drink driving.
31. The Motor Vehicle Inspection Unit has been overhauled and new inspectors gazetted in October last year to improve services.
32. Regulations concerning tamper proof digital speed limits effective on April 15. This is because the major cause of accidents is speeding. The new regulations require that PSVs and vehicles with tare weight of 3,048 kg and above install speed limiters. They require installation of speed limiters with an inbuilt tamper proof recording mechanism that retains data for a minimum 30 days. This will enable law enforcers to obtain data on those breaking the speed limit
34.A new curriculum for drivers’ training, testing and licensing has been developed. The ministry is awaiting approval of the curriculum by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.
35. As a result of these measures, road accidents and deaths have reduced by 21.8 per cent compared to the same period last year.