NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 21 – The government has unveiled sweeping reforms to streamline trade along the Northern Corridor, including plans to reduce police roadblocks to fewer than five, cut security response times to under one hour, and halve cargo transit time.The reforms, announced by the State Department for East African Community Affairs, are aimed at eliminating long-standing bottlenecks that have slowed cargo movement and undermined Kenya’s competitiveness within the East African Community.Principal Secretary Caroline Karugu said the measures form part of an urgent “call to action” to restore efficiency along the critical trade route.“Every delay and inefficiency directly impacts our national revenue and increases the cost of goods across the region,” she said.Under the new plan, the government will implement strict operational targets that include reducing police road blocks from 22–27 to fewer than five gazetted stops, cutting the security response time from 4–6 hours to under one hour and reducing the transit time from from 76–80 hours to the 36–48 hour regional benchmarkThe reforms will be implemented in coordination with key agencies, including the Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Ports Authority, and the National Police Service.The Northern Corridor handles more than 35 million metric tonnes of cargo annually and accounts for over 80 percent of Kenya’s transit trade.However, persistent inefficiencies have seen cargo increasingly diverted to alternative routes such as Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam corridor, with Kenya losing between 5 and 8 percent of high-value transit cargo each year.Major entry and exit points include Malaba and Busia One Stop Border Posts, which process thousands of trucks daily but remain vulnerable to delays caused by congestion and administrative hurdles.A recent government assessment found that non-tariff barriers—including excessive roadblocks, system failures, and slow security response—continue to inflate the cost of doing business.Transporters currently incur significant losses due to delays, with inefficiencies pushing up the price of goods across the region.By cutting transit time by half, the government estimates savings of $288 to $360 per trip, and $43 million to $54 million annually at the national level.Officials say the reform programme will be closely monitored to ensure results, with a clear action matrix and timelines set for all implementing agencies.The State Department emphasized that regular progress reviews will be conducted to prevent the initiative from stalling.The move signals Kenya’s intent to reclaim its position as the region’s premier logistics hub amid growing competition from neighboring countries investing heavily in transport infrastructure.If successfully implemented, the reforms are expected to enhance efficiency, lower costs, and improve trade flows across East and Central Africa.