Kenya Ports of Authority (KPA) announced new approaches to clearing imported goods from entry points in line with President William Ruto's directive of digitising all government services.
In a statement dated Tuesday, February 21, KPA indicated that individuals looking to access its services will have to do so through the eCitizen platform.
"We are now live on eCitizenKenya. You can access port services by logging onto the ecitizen portal or access the site through the KPA website," the Authority indicated in the statement.
KPA noted that importers will no long file tedious paperwork which previously caused a lot of delays in the clearance processes.
"KPA’s new online portal delivers on ease of use and convenience for our customers. Track a consignment, lodge documents for pickup orders and pay for your invoices all in one place," KPA explained.
The new e-citizen filing system serves importers both at Inland Waterways as well as Inland Container Depots in order to provide efficient and competitive port services that facilitate global trade.
"We now enable agents to access in one place, services that were previously offered across independent systems," the Authority noted.
KPA took steps toward transparency by also bringing agents’ customers on board, in a manner that allows customers to track consignments and even pay directly for invoices through a variety of payment options.
"By simply providing a bill of lading number for a consignment that belongs to you, you’re able to track the status of the consignment as it goes through various stages," they explained.
KPA system allows customers to generate pickup orders for their consignments in a simplified process that takes a shorter time than previous paperwork.
A customer is only required to provide a bill of lading number for a consignment that he or she generated, and they will be able to track the status of the consignment as it goes through various stages.
"Access and view invoices for all the consignments you’re clearing in one place. You can now also settle the invoices online through a variety of payment channels that we offer," KPA highlighted.
The new KPA system also allows customers to access all records and transactions and conveniently manage the payments to the Authority.
In December 2022, Ruto announced plans by the government to digitise nearly all its services in a bid to transform the delivery of public services and make them more efficient and speedier.
The president would later in January issue a directive that all the 5,000 government services be digitized by June this year while emphasising on processes, delivery and information sharing.
KPA was among seven state agencies the State Department for Immigration and Citizen Services revealed on Monday, February 20, that their services would be fully digitised by June 2023.
How It Works
1. Use your email address, phone number or National Identification Number to Register an account on the E-Citizen platform
2. On the portal, choose Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) filing system and open the account
3. If you are an agent, use your credentials to sign in on a platform for agents
4. If you are a customer, proceed to log in and access your account
5. File the necessary documents as per the services you are seeking
