Transporters who ply the Kenya and DRC route are counting losses running into hundreds of millions, as truck drivers remain stuck in the country for over a month now.
The Star has established that over 1,500 Kenyan truck drivers and their cargoes have been stranded in Fataki, Bunia and Mahagi areas of Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as roads in the region remain impassable.
This further exposes them to insecurity in the region, which is prone to rebels attacks.
The Kenya Long Distance Truck Drivers Association (LDTDA), Kenya Transporters Association (KTA) and the Shippers Council of Eastern Africa (SCEA) have raised concerns over the situation in DRC, calling for a solution.
They want the road network improved, failure to which, transporters will avoid the landlocked country, which is a new entrant into the East African Community (EAC).
Heavy rains have rendered the roads impassable in the region, which has in the past seen drivers remain stuck for up to six months, according to the players in the transport and logistics sector.
“We have over 1,500 drivers stuck waiting for the roads to dry up. It is a year-in-year out situation which exposes our drivers to security risks, mental torture and high cost," LDTDA chairman Kabeberi Hassan told the Star yesterday.
According to the association, there is little help going the drivers’ way, a situation that has also affected Tanzania and Ugandan drivers.
“They can only get lucky when for instance the Chinese doing projects in the country go to rescue their stuck vehicles. That is the only chance to get pulled out with the caterpillars,” Hassan noted, “Going into DRC has become a headache where drivers don’t know when they well be back home.”
DRC, which sprawls over 905,000 square miles, is the second largest country in Africa but 63 years after independence, it has few roads connecting one end of the country to the other.
According to transporters, it costs at least $247 (about Sh38, 000) per truck per day when it remains stuck on the roads, meaning transporters are incurring costs of up to Sh57 million per day on the estimated 1,500 trucks.
This translates to about Sh1.7 billion per month.
Fuel, food, dry cargo and reefers are among cargoes that remain stuck according to transporters.
“Trucks are parked in a single file that runs in kilometres. It's a dangerous situation because drivers are using gas meckos to cook yet fuel tankers are right there. The authorities are not reachable that's why we need your intervention,” a WhatsApp text from a driver, seen by the Star, reads.
The army on the ground is not allowing drivers to take photos.
KTA chief executive Mercy Ireri said: "These poor road conditions lead to delayed cargo deliveries and result in losses for many transporters.”
The association has also called out DRC authorities for laxity to get a solution to avert spread of diseases and damage to the environment.
The delays have also exposed importers and traders to demurrage charges on delayed return of containers, shippers said.
Demurrage refers to the charge that the merchant pays for the use of the container beyond the free time period.
Demurrage now amounts to an average of $70(Sh10, 752) per day, per container, but varies on the shipping line.
The Shippers Council has called on the EAC leaders to improve the infrastructure to improve trade in the region, terming the current situation in DRC “unfortunate.”
“The AfCFTA leadership must also prioritise infrastructure improvement to aid the objectives of the agreement. It is estimated that USD 247, 000 is direct lost per day not forgetting the hardship and pain the truck drivers face,” SCEA chief executive Gilbert Langat told the Star.
DRC is the third biggest transit destination for cargoes coming in through the Port of Mombasa, accounting for 7.2 per cent of total volumes, according to Kenya Ports Authority.
Uganda leads with a an 83.2 per cent share followed by South Sudan with 9.9 per cent, while Tanzania and Rwanda account for 3.2 per cent and 2.4 per cent, respectively.
The current situation is seen as a setback in trade where DRC’s joining the East African Community, in April last year, had created hope of a further growth in intra-EAC trade, as the country created an additional market of approximately 81 million people, providing a large market for trade.
Top EAC exports to DRC include lime and cement, iron and steel, tobacco, beverages, spirits and vinegar, animal or vegetable fats and oils, wheat gluten, sugars and confectionery, plastics and soap, among other products.
Imports include wood, plants, seeds, fruits, re-melting scraps of iron or steel, and natural sands.