Coordinated Border Management and trade facilitation at Namanga Border Post, Kenya
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Date
2021
Authors
Ondari, Catherine Moraa
Dr. Nekesa, Marion
Dr. Komen, Joyce
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
KESRA/Moi University
Abstract
Trade facilitation at the Namanga border post is currently facing a number of challenges
that result into delays of clearance of goods across the Kenya-Tanzania border. The
situation often encourages increased smuggling of goods as traders try to use shortcuts
to avoid government agencies’ bureaucracies that always cause losses to several
businesses due to delayed movement of commodities across the border. All these
challenges are associated with disjointed coordination of trading by different agencies
involved. The purpose of this study was to establish the effect of coordinated border
management on trade facilitation in Kenya, focusing on Namanga one-stop border
point. Specific objectives of the study included: to establish the effect of cooperation
among border agencies, coordination between border agencies, border collaboration
challenges between border agencies, coexistence among border agencies, and the effect
of communication among border agencies on trade facilitation at the Namanga border
point. New Trade Theory and Export Base Theory were used in the study. The study
adopted causal research design and a target population of 140 staff of border control
agencies at Namanga Border Point. Census was used to include all of them in the study
where primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using
descriptive (frequencies & percentages) and inferential (multiple linear regression) data
analysis methods. The study’s key findings indicated that a unit increase in cooperation
among border agencies would lead to a 0.153 increase in Trade facilitation at Namanga
Border Post (β1=0.153, p=0.008<0.05); a unit increase in for Coordination of border
agencies would lead to a 0.246 increase in Trade facilitation at Namanga Border Post
(β2=0.246, p=0.014<0.05); a unit increase in Collaboration between border agencies
would lead to a 0.123 increase in Trade facilitation at Namanga Border Post (β3=0.123,
p=0.03<0.05); a unit increase in Coexistence among border agencies would lead to a
0.232 increase in Trade facilitation at Namanga Border Post (β4=0.232, p=0.001<0.05);
a unit increase in cooperation among border agencies would lead to a 0.331 increase in
Trade facilitation at Namanga Border Post β5=0.331, p=0.000<0.05). The study
concluded that coordinated border management has a significant effect on trade
facilitation at Namanga border post. The study recommended that there is need for the
government and other key stakeholders to adopt international standards and tools of
trade, such as SAFE Framework of Standards and performance of Time Release Study
(TRS), that will help the identify bottlenecks and the border and address them
efficiently. The study suggested that a comparative study should be carried out on the
effect of coordinated border management on trade facilitation in at least two border
points. A study should also be conducted on how the government is addressing
challenges of coordinated border management to improve trade facilitation
Description
Keywords
CBM, One-stop Border Post (OSBP), Time Release Study (TRS)