{"id":56929,"date":"2026-01-22T18:45:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T18:45:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/rwanda-signs-mou-with-kenya-ports-authority-to-streamline-northern-corridor\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T11:22:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T11:22:20","slug":"rwanda-signs-mou-with-kenya-ports-authority-to-streamline-northern-corridor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwanda-signs-mou-with-kenya-ports-authority-to-streamline-northern-corridor\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda signs MoU with Kenya Ports Authority to streamline Northern Corridor trade"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The office, which has been in Kigali since 2013, serves as a local hub for Rwandan businesses accessing services at the Port of Mombasa.<\/p>\n<p>The MoU provides a strategic framework to enhance coordination, streamline logistics, and boost trade competitiveness along the Northern Corridor. By handling port-related issues locally, the Kigali office allows Rwandan importers to avoid travelling to Kenya, saving time and reducing costs.<\/p>\n<p>Captain William Kipkemboi Ruto, Managing Director of KPA, said the agreement underscores the long-standing partnership between the two countries. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis office has been here since 2013, and today\u2019s MoU formalises our commitment to support Rwanda\u2019s business community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He noted that cargo throughput for Rwanda grew by 22.8 percent last year, totalling 896,000 metric tons of goods transported through Mombasa Port. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is more opportunity to grow this volume to over a million tons. Our goal is to bring the port closer to the consumer and simplify business operations for Rwandan importers,\u201d Captain Ruto added.<\/p>\n<p>Captain Ruto also highlighted the office\u2019s role in digitisation and automation. Through KPA\u2019s online payment platform and CargoPay, businesses can process transactions in Rwandan francs without physical interactions, speeding up cargo clearance and reducing delays.<\/p>\n<p>Mohamed Daghar, Kenya\u2019s Principal Secretary for Transport, noted that the MoU ensures the Kigali office operates in full compliance with Rwandan law. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cRwanda is a key partner for us. This agreement will help eliminate non-tariff barriers and other obstacles along the Northern Corridor, enhancing the flow of goods between our countries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Rwanda\u2019s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA), Canoth Manishimwe, emphasised the impact on cross-border trade. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis agreement strengthens cooperation and creates smoother processes for resolving any trade-related issues,\u201d he said. \u201cCommercial trucks will no longer face unlawful delays or unnecessary fines, thanks to the MoU\u2019s \u2018Non-Barrier Tariff\u2019 clause.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Statistics from Rwanda\u2019s National Institute of Statistics (NISR) show a steady increase in goods passing through Mombasa Port. In 2022, Rwanda handled 429,850 tons of cargo via the port, rising sharply to 520,000 tons in 2023. The KPA Liaison Office in Kigali is expected to accelerate this growth, improve efficiency, and further strengthen Rwanda\u2019s regional trade position.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-100919 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/g_rp4ifxqae8_gw.jpg\" alt=\"The MoU is aimed at strengthening the operations of the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Liaison Office in Kigali.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-100918 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/g_rnrwpx0aabxiz.jpg\" alt=\"The MoU provides a strategic framework to enhance coordination, streamline logistics, and boost trade competitiveness along the Northern Corridor. \" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-100917 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/g_rohtqwgaawndz.jpg\" alt=\"The MoU was signed by Mohamed Daghar, Kenya\u2019s Principal Secretary for Transport, and his Rwandan counterpart Canoth Manishimwe, on behalf of the two countries. Both officials emphasised the MoU\u2019s impact on regional trade.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-100916 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/g_rokrrxsaaheoa.jpg\" alt=\"The KPA Liaison Office in Kigali is expected to accelerate this growth, improve efficiency, and further strengthen Rwanda\u2019s regional trade position.\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rwanda and Kenya have formalised and strengthened the operations of the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Liaison Office in Kigali with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday, January 22, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000100920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[72,75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-56929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-62","tag-featured-news-home","tag-homenews","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000100920,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/g_rohtqwgaawndzlogo.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/g_rohtqwgaawndzlogo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/g_rohtqwgaawndzlogo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/g_rohtqwgaawndzlogo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/g_rohtqwgaawndzlogo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/g_rohtqwgaawndzlogo.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000100920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56929"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=56929"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=56929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}