Juba has abolished the $5,000 container deposit on cargo destined for South Sudan from the port of Mombasa, a move shippers had criticised as “unrealistic” due to security risks.

The government said it intends to increase cargo handled through Mombasa by cutting down the cost of doing business, hence the container deposit waiver.

The South Sudanese business community celebrated the waiver with their Mombasa chairman Emmanuel Kachuol saying their quest has lasted 10 years.“This fee has been too high and negatively affected the entire business chain in South Sudan,” he said. “With the abolition, South Sudan traders will be motivated to do business with Kenya due to low operation costs.”But, cargo handlers in Mombasa warn that Juba has not put safeguards to ensure that the containers are returned to Kenya once they land in South Sudan.

Mr Mbaru said abolishing the guarantee without putting in place strong alternative safeguards will expose shipping lines to significant financial and operational risks.“South Sudan remains a high-risk destination, where many containers are delayed, abandoned, or never recovered at all. These losses fall directly on shipping lines and disrupt equipment availability throughout the supply chain,” he said.“While we understand the intention to ease costs for traders, clear and enforceable container security and traceability measures must be established.”In the notice dated November 17, 2025, South Sudan Revenue Authority (SSRA) Commissioner-General William Kuol also said: “All transporters, shipping lines, freight forwarders, clearing and forwarding agents are further advised that no cargo destined for South Sudan shall be released from the Port of Mombasa without a valid ‘Maritime Container Release One-Time Password (OTP) is a mandatory digital verification and security requirements established to enhance transparency accountability and traceability of all maritime under the Digital Tracking System (DTS).”

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