On 31st October, 2018, the President of the Republic of Kenya launched the Integrated Scanner Command Centre (ISCC) to aid in the fight against illicit trade.
The ISCC allows the use of ultramodern scanners which scan all cargo at the port of Mombasa (“the port”) and enables customs officials in the main command centers in Nairobi and Mombasa to receive transmission of all scanned images in real time. The ultramodern scanners at the port will assist in the detection of any concealed goods and eliminate trafficking of prohibited goods. Further, this will enable customs official detect any undeclared or mis-declared goods for purposes of tax collection.
The ultramodern scanners are expected to enhance cargo security and safety at the port as well as speed up cargo clearance. Currently there are six scanners installed at the port which clear between 700-800 containers in a day. The use of the scanners shall reduce the need for the cumbersome physical inspection of each container at the port. However, the scanners shall not completely do away with the physical inspection of import and export containers as physical inspection shall be necessary in the event the scanners detect suspicious items inside the containers.
The use of this technology is expected to promote legitimate trade and greatly reduce illicit trade.
In the same event, the President also officially launched the Kenya Revenue Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System (RECTS) which was first introduced in Kenya in 2017 and is used to track transit cargo in real time across Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Since its introduction, the RECTS has aided in the tracking of over 27,000 cargo containers.
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