Board Seat: Ruto Signs Law Adding Kenya Ports Authority Chief to KRA BoardBoard Seat: Ruto Signs Law Adding Kenya Ports Authority Chief to KRA Board

The law also makes every member of the board substantive and removes the ex officio designation from the relevant provisions, according to reports of the signing. Parliament passed the Bill on 7 October, and Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah sponsored it.

What the law changes

The managing director of the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) gains a seat on the board of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). The amendments also change how membership, tenure and termination work for the Principal Secretary for the National Treasury, the Attorney General and the KRA Commissioner General, who were previously ex officio members.

The National Assembly brief describes the change as "an efficiency measure due to the co-dependent nature of the operations". The expansion stems from a proposal to integrate port operations, customs and logistics tracking.

Reports of the signing say Ruto also assented to the Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, but the details of that Bill were not available. Mwenendo has not seen the published text of the Act in the Kenya Gazette, so the exact wording of the provisions is unconfirmed.

Who sits on the board now

At the time of reporting, the board was chaired by Ndiritu Muriithi, with Adan Mohamed as Commissioner General and chief executive, and Dorcas Oduor as Attorney General. Lawrence Kibet sits as the National Treasury alternate director. The independent directors are Hadi Sheikh Abdullahi, Richard Boro Ndung'u, Lydia Cherono Rono, Risper Olick, Ashif Kassam and Shimaka Leonard.

The report that named the current Ports Authority managing director appeared to contain an error, so Mwenendo has not named the office holder.

What it could mean for importers

Cargo clearance involves both agencies: ships and containers pass through port operations before customs processes them. A shared board seat could bring the two agencies' planning closer, which is the efficiency case made in Parliament. No data shows yet whether clearance times or importers' costs will change, and the law does not state targets.

As Mwenendo earlier reported, Kenya's banking sector has seen private sector credit growth reach 10.6%, which depends in part on importers and traders moving goods smoothly. Mwenendo also covered how EPRA lifted fuel prices this month, a cost that reaches the same freight chain.

Whether the new seat shortens clearance times will be judged by KRA and KPA data once the board begins sitting under the amended law.