Within the framework of the Capacity Building Programme, the WCO and Kenya Revenue Authority conducted a regional workshop on Rules of Origin in Nairobi from 9 to 13 March 2015. The workshop was attended by a total of 30 Customs officers from several departments around the country.

The objective of the workshop was to enhance the capacity of the Customs officers to effectively and efficiently manage all issues related to rules of origin and to enable participants to cascade their knowledge to colleagues. Topics discussed during this workshop included the key concepts for proper origin determination, and a number of related operational issues, such as the establishment of an efficient organization, provision of effective training and private sector outreach.

The WCO delivered training on the relevant WCO tools and instruments, such as the WCO Guidelines on Origin Certification and Preferential Origin Verification, which have been designed to assist WCO Members in bringing the relevant provisions in Free Trade Agreements into smooth operation in the field. Furthermore, the WCO outlined the technical knowledge necessary to ensure proper and streamlined origin determination.

Discussions during the workshop also emphasized the importance of verifying the actual originating status of goods, rather than merely checking the authenticity of the certificate of origin as well as a need to enhance the cooperation with Customs Administrations in partner countries.

On 16 to 19 March 2015 the Secretariat worked with Kenya Revenue Authority, Origin Unit, on the development of case studies related to origin irregularities (excluding fraud). The case studies will be included into the WCO Guide on countering origin irregularities (excluding fraud), which will be presented to the Policy Commission and the Council in June 2015 as part of the Revenue Package Phase II.