SSFFA head urges government to resolve clearance standoff at Mombasa Port

The head of the South Sudan Freight Forwarders Association (SSFFA), Deng Daniel, has asked for the transitional unity government to intervene to resolve standoff over clearance at Port of Mombasa.
Deng Daniel, President-elect of the South Sudan Freight Forwarders Association (SSFFA)

By Simon Deng

The head of the South Sudan Freight Forwarders Association (SSFFA), Deng Daniel, has asked for the transitional unity government to intervene to resolve standoff over clearance at Port of Mombasa.

 “Currently, there is a stalemate now at Mombasa Port; the South Sudan Revenue Authority has directed the main clearance to be done at Mombasa. It is about two weeks now and yet the trucks have never arrived to South Sudan where they are destined,” said Daniel in an interview in Juba on Tuesday.

“Now, the question that we have been asking is that who is doing clearance in Mombasa? Because the South Sudanese companies operating in Mombasa are around 7 or 5 and they have not been entitled to do the clearance,” he added.

Daniel revealed that they have written two letters demanding that the National Revenue Authority withdraw the new policy in order give room for the freight industry staff to be trained on the new policy.

“Number two, we condemn in the strongest term clearance and payments to be done in a foreign country. These procedures are supposed to be done within the country so that we are able to pay within our banks,” he said.

Daniel said the new financial policy is supposed to be reviewed, adding that clearance agents are supposed to be trained on the new policy so that they can be able to do clearance effectively without hindrance.

He also called on the transitional government to remove all illegal checkpoints along the Juba-Nimule highway.

“What we have seen currently in the new financial Act of 2024-2025, instead of promoting trade, they are now discouraging trade because their charges are more than what the customer is collecting,” said Daniel.

In November 2024, Simon Akuei Deng, the Commissioner General of South Sudan National Revenue Authority directed custom officers and clearance agents and other relevant government institutions to implement the new financial Act which increased taxes on imported goods.

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