South Sudan negotiating release of unclaimed containers with Kenya

April 13, 2015 (JUBA) – South Sudan is discussing with the neighbouring Kenya ways to release unclaimed containers at port Mombasa since more than a year, Juba said on Monday.

According to officials at the ministry of finance, some of the containers have overstayed at the port due to the failure by the owners, including government institutions and departments to pay for clearances.

The under-secretary at the ministry of finance, Salvatore Garang Mabior said President Salva Kiir personally is in discussion with his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta to secure exemption for containers carrying goods for public institutions.

Mabior confirmed that Kenyan authorities had given the government until the April 20th to either pay for clearance at the Mombasa port for more than a year without clearance or take them to auction.

“The owners of those containers have been unable to pay clearance fees for their containers. Some of them came to the government seeking for assistances because majority of these containers from the government contracted contractors bringing essential items,” he said.

He said the Kenyan government will only take over and auction goods that will not have been claimed within the next seven days.

It remains to be seen if the Kenyan government, which also solely depends on port revenues and tourism for its budgets, will either exempt the imports for the South Sudanese government or charge it for future repayment.

The land-locked South Sudan uses Kenyan ports to import its goods instead of Port Sudan, a decision that was justified by the need to free the new nation from any economic pressures by the Khartoum on the outstanding issues since its independence.

(ST)