The Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Pipeline Corporation and Kenya Railway Corporation will start working under one roof with the human resource department synchronised. PHOTO | FILE | NMG
Three Kenyan state agencies have signed a joint operating agreement under the Kenya Transport and Logistics Network stipulating roles of each agency.
This comes as the country works towards removing all roadblocks along the Northern Corridor, as well as expand and upgrade transport infra-structure in order to promote trade in the East African Community region.
The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), Kenya Pipeline Corporation (KPC) and Kenya Railway Corporation (KRC) chairpersons signed the agreement on behalf of their agencies in the presence of National Treasury and Planning officials and the holding company Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation (ICDC).
The agreement will establish a framework that will stipulate which agency handles which specific duties to enhance efficiency along the corridor.
With the signing of the agreement, the three agencies will start working under one roof with synchronising of the human resource department being given priority while sharing of assets will follow to reduce resource wastages.
In September, the Kenya Transport and Logistics Network (KTLN) was established under an executive order and the three agencies were instructed to work on the JOA within 60 days to give clarity to the nature and structure of the premier logistics network.
During the event at the Port of Mombasa headquarters on Friday, KPA chairperson Joseph Kibwana, KPC Rita Okuthe and KRC counterpart Pastor Awita signed on behalf of their agencies while John Ngumi and National Treasury and Planning Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani signed on behalf of ICDC and government respectively.
Mr Yatani said JOA identifies almost in a granular way, what needs to be done, by which agency, whether alone or jointly, by what date, and with what resources.
He added that the agreement also establishes a monitoring and evaluation framework to ensure that various strategic plans, business plans, annual and medium-term budgets, work plans, among others are implemented.
“I acknowledge that the real journey towards operationalisation of the KTLN is just about to begin. With the JOA, we are only making a strong and unequivocal statement of intent, telling the world what we commit and plan to do but we know it has not been easy for the different agencies to come together and agree on this joint operating framework,” said the CS.
With the implementation of the new framework, all activities of the three agencies will have one centralised office and co-ordination of operations without amending the existing laws or causing undue disruption to the legal structuring of the State entities.
Mr Yatani said the new structure is expected to yield lower cost of doing business in the country.
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