KRA launches ‘smart gate’ at Eldoret pipeline depot
Kenya Revenue Authority’s North Rift Regional Manager for Customs and Border Control John Gathatwa (left), Barille Wario, KRA North Rift Regional Coordinator, Susan Wanjohi (partially hidden), KRA Deputy Commissioner in Charge of Cargo Scanner Monitoring, Julius Nkwasire, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Assistant Commissioner in Charge of Enforcement, Vicky Makumbi, URA Assistant Commissioner in Charge of Non-Intrusive Inspection, and other officials during the launch of Smartgate at Kenya Pipeline Corporation’s Eldoret depot on October 11, 2022.
What you need to know:
Eldoret is a key route for moving cargo between the Mombasa port in neighbouring countries
The Eldoret route is the most preferred by many transporters because of its proximity to borders along the Northern Corridor
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has installed a ‘smart gate’ at the Eldoret pipeline depot in a move expected to enhance efficiency in cargo clearance and movement.
A smart gate is a solution that allows faster clearance, loading and exit of trucks from the depot to various destinations in the East African region. It is expected to eliminate long queues caused by manual processes.
The smart gate will enable transporters to book 24 hours before loading, with pre-checks and verifications done through seals, said KRA North Rift Regional Coordinator Barille Wario.
“This will improve fleet management by oil stakeholders, since they will be able to book online, enhance traffic control and faster turnaround of trucks at the oil installations, among other benefits,” Mr Wario explained.
Key route
Eldoret is a key route for moving cargo between the Mombasa port in neighbouring countries.
The smart gate, Mr Wario explained, is part of the agency’s Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System (RECTS) for cargo monitoring in the Northern Corridor.
“The smart gate is a key enabler in trade facilitation and end-to-end monitoring of transits along the Northern Corridor,” he said.
“It will be a game changer since we have improved on how best we can all work together to make value addition in custom processes and trade facilitation within the East Africa region efficient.”
He added: “Smart gates will enhance traffic control, faster turnaround of trucks at the oil installations [and] easy fleet management by oil stakeholders since they will be able to book online.
“It will also facilitate proper planning by pipeline officers in terms of expected trucks scheduled for loading, thus ensuring minimum delay since most customs documentation will have been done in advance.”
Proximity to border
He said the Eldoret route is the most preferred by many transporters because of its proximity to borders along the Northern Corridor. “By [using] this technology, it is our vision to ensure trade facilitation is seamless in operations and cargo monitoring between our countries,” Mr Wario said.
Mr Wario was with Susan Wanjohi, the KRA deputy commissioner for cargo and scanners monitoring, and Julius Nkwasire, the Uganda Revenue Authority assistant commissioner for enforcement, among other officials.
Trucks are fitted with e-fuel chips that will aid in check-ins and scanning the vehicle and its cargo, and it will eventually address pilferage of transit cargo, Ms Wanjohi said.
“The chips will transmit all the information in the vehicle, including the cargo temperature and the level of the content and relay to the control room as well as the smart gate in record time,” she explained.
She said a team “will check if the e-fuel [chip] is deactivated and if it is transmitting last trip performance before clearing the truck if the gadget is working”.
If there is no green light from the e-fuel chip, she said, the truck will be referred to a location for rectification.
Long queues
Mr Nkwasire, on the other hand, hailed the piece of technology, noting it will address the long queues usually seen at depots and enable faster cargo clearance.
“In the near future, we shall be installing the smart gates in our border points to ensure a seamless flow of goods and services from one country to the other. Technology is the way to go in addressing some of the challenges brought about by tedious paperwork,” he said.
