Press Center | Freight Shipping Logistics News
Dec 15, 2008
General
caxias
It’s good for the Government to curb dumping of imports, but destroying imported cars does not help the country.
It’s good for the Government to curb dumping of imports, but destroying imported cars does not help the country.
Why should the vehicles be destroyed when they can be auctioned and proceeds used to help the less fortunate?
We have NGOs in dire need of vehicles and money to support their noble missions, and this is what the Government should have considered.
Our roads are full of vehicles spewing exhausts that damage the environment, cars in worse shape than the ones purported to be unroadworthy. Most unclaimed vehicles is due to the bureaucracy importers are subjected to.
They deal with clearing and forwarding agents, Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards, and Kenya Revenue Authority which takes a lot of time, and when the grace period for clearance is over, the consignments starts to accumulate demurrage, making it too expensive for importers to pay.
It would have been fair had the Government treated the issue on a case-by-case basis. Many might be ill or dead.
Furthermore, many importers are unaware of the new import rules, like the ban on left-hand-drives, and discover this when their vehicles have docked.
What is worse, we have many such vehicles owned by senior people, thereby magnifying the Kenyan culture of double-standards.
Some of these restrictive import laws must be abolished. The accidents on our roads are not caused by left-hand-vehicles and age limits. The Government should simply inspect vehicles to establish roadworthiness.
If a vehicle is drivable from Kilindini Port to Busia, it’s good.
Why should the vehicles be destroyed when they can be auctioned and proceeds used to help the less fortunate?
We have NGOs in dire need of vehicles and money to support their noble missions, and this is what the Government should have considered.
Our roads are full of vehicles spewing exhausts that damage the environment, cars in worse shape than the ones purported to be unroadworthy. Most unclaimed vehicles is due to the bureaucracy importers are subjected to.
They deal with clearing and forwarding agents, Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards, and Kenya Revenue Authority which takes a lot of time, and when the grace period for clearance is over, the consignments starts to accumulate demurrage, making it too expensive for importers to pay.
It would have been fair had the Government treated the issue on a case-by-case basis. Many might be ill or dead.
Furthermore, many importers are unaware of the new import rules, like the ban on left-hand-drives, and discover this when their vehicles have docked.
What is worse, we have many such vehicles owned by senior people, thereby magnifying the Kenyan culture of double-standards.
Some of these restrictive import laws must be abolished. The accidents on our roads are not caused by left-hand-vehicles and age limits. The Government should simply inspect vehicles to establish roadworthiness.
If a vehicle is drivable from Kilindini Port to Busia, it’s good.
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