Members of Parliament and the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) have raised concerns over arbitrary charges by the county governments on products entering the Kenyan market via the sea.
The concerns emerged during a meeting with the National Assembly's Committee on Regional Integration on Sunday, where Ruto told the lawmakers that the imposition of the County Export Sub-levy System (CESS) charges by the county governments on already cleared cargo was unnecessary and hurting businesses.
According to the KPA boss, the impact of the arbitrary charges imposed by various agencies continued to erode Kenya's competitive edge as a regional hub, this is despite the containers having been cleared. "When containers leave the Port, they usually have a seal which is proof that all necessary charges have been settled," said Captain Ruto.
A port official handling containers at the Mombasa Port on April 7, 2022.
