Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has opened a new warehouse dubbed the National Cargo Deconsolidation Centre - Nairobi (NCDC-Nairobi) at the KRC Transit shed in Nairobi County.
The centre will expand the corporation's storage capacity to handle cargo for small scale traders within Nairobi and its surroundings.
The new facility will enhance the capacity of de-consolidated cargo from the initial (5) 40-foot containers to (15) 40-foot containers.
According to the corporation, a 40 feet container can have up to 25 small scale traders importing varied goods consolidated. Now, with the expansion, more than 400 traders can be served in one day.
Further, KR noted that the transit shed will operate 24-hours during the post-Covid-19 period. The number of containers being cleared at the facility is also expected to increase to roughly 300 containers per month, a move that small traders welcomed.
"A 24hr economy is what we need as a country more now that the standard of living is growing each day. Kenya Railways will now work for 24 hours. This comes in handy and we hope more people will be employed," said a trader.
The move will enable the country to collect Ksh1 Billion in extra revenue. The new developments were received warmly by netizens who lauded the new developments.
Since its launch on November 10, 2020 by President Uhuru Kenyatta, the transit shed has so far served more than 200 traders. Eleven containers with an approximate revenue of Ksh23 million have been cleared by Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) in the past three months.
Uhuru noted that the purpose of the shed is to protect traders who import goods from outside the country against corrupt clearing agents who are notorious for swindling small-scale importers.
Further, he unveiled the refurbished Nairobi Central Railway Station under the Modernization Program of the Nairobi Commuter Rail Service aimed at revitalizing the transport sector in the country.
He noted that the Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) would ease the cost of doing business for SME traders who account for the country’s biggest employers.
