Customs agents and freight forwarders in Kenya have begun domesticating a regional Bill aimed at self-regulating an industry that has been operating without legal backing for decades.
The East African Customs Agents and Freight Forwarders Management Model Bill 2017 is set to be implemented in all the six East African countries.
Consequently, the Kenya Customs Agents and Freight Forwarders Management Bill 2019 will be tabled in parliament soon.
“The final draft is awaiting the input of government departments including the Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards, Kenya Ports Authority before we submit it to the National Assembly House committee,” said Roy Mwanthi, the Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association chairman.
Once the Bill becomes law, the association will be transformed into a society to be governed by a national council elected by freight and Customs agents bodies.
It will set professional standards for the sector, provide certification and registration as well as a code of conduct including how to solve disputes among members.
Federation of East African Freight Forwarders Associations programme manager Elias Buluku praised the move by the countries to come up with a regional law, saying it will change how the logistics sector is run.
