WCO Secretary General meets
Kenya
’s Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister of Finance during his visit to
East Africa
Nairobi (Kenya), 8 to 9 July 2009
Report
The WCO Secretary General met Kenya’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Uhuru Kenyatta in Nairobi on 8 July 2009. Minister Kenyatta assured the Secretary General of his political support for the modernization of Kenya’s Customs administration particularly with respect to improved revenue collection and its increasing role in border management. In this connection, he appreciated the WCO’s efforts to encourage efficient and fair revenue collection under the current global financial crisis while ensuring the security and facilitation of global trade. Mr. Mikuriya expressed his full commitment to providing capacity building assistance in the region, which is one of his top priorities.
The Secretary General took the opportunity to explain the importance of the WCO Revised Kyoto Convention as a blueprint for Customs modernization, particularly for efficient revenue collection, trade facilitation, and border management, supported by the use of information technology and risk management. He also explained Customs’ efforts to preserve integrity and fight corruption by simplifying Customs procedures embodied in the RKC and by addressing human resource management, including the provision of acceptable working conditions. Recognizing its effect on the promotion of trade and the improvement of the investment climate, the Minister promised his full commitment to getting the RKC through the passage of government procedures to enable early ratification by Kenya.
Mr. Mikuriya also referred to the issue of coordinated border management where Customs can play an essential role towards the creation of a single window environment with its international standards and global network of cooperation. Minister Kenyatta expressed his full support for the central role Kenya Customs could play in coordinated border management.
The Secretary General had illustrated the need for better coordination between border agencies at the Green Customs Regional Workshop that he opened earlier on the same day at the Regional Training Centre in Mombasa.
On 9 July 2009 Mr. Mikuriya visited UNEP’s headquarters in Nairobi where he met Deputy Executive Director Angela Cropper who appreciated the close cooperation that existed with the WCO with respect to the Green Customs Initiative. She also recognized the critical role Customs officers play at the frontline to protect the environment.