WFP Logistics

Overview
WFP Logistics began operations in Kenya 20 years ago, with a three-person office, dealing primarily with transport support for school feeding. Today, Kenya Country Office logistics unit’s staff exceeds 100, with offices in ten locations across the country providing logistics support to projects covering HIV/Aids, School Feeding, refugees and a seemingly perennial emergency operation (EMOP), reaching more than 4.5 million beneficiaries.

Team
The Kenya Logistics office has a total of 101 staff located in different areas within the country.

Activities
Port Operations
The Port of Mombasa, one of WFP’s busiest port operations, provides an entry point to Kenya as well as Uganda, Somalia, southern Sudan, DRC, Rwanda and Burundi. In 2008, the Mombasa operation handled more than 1 million metric tonnes of food and non food items. Due to the unique nature of WFP Somalia operations, Mombasa also acts as a loading port for vessels outbound to the ports along the Somali coast, making it one of the few WFP operations to both discharge and load large vessels.

Storage
Storage facilities in terms of capacity are generally not a problem in Kenya. The NationalCereals and Produce Board (NCPB) have conventional warehouses, both in the producing agricultural districts as well as the more marginal pastoralist areas and NCPB conventional warehouses are present at 118 locations across Kenya.

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has commercialized the utilization of back port sheds, ie. WFP's contracted BP1. In case of an emergency, school premises throughout the country could also be considered for storage purposes (limited though in capacity).

There are three WFP-owned unconventional storage facilities, ie. Dadaab, Kakuma (for PRRO) and Lokichoggio (for the South Sudan operations / bonded) rubbhalls and wiikhalls.

Road Transport
Kenya Country Office Logistics provides direct overland transport to Uganda, southern Sudan and Somalia, as well as to internal Kenya projects across the country. With more than 50 short-listed transporters, it coordinates more than 50 long-haul trucks per day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year.

Rail
Kenya's railway infrastructure spans from the Port of Mombasa to the central highland regions, Lake Victoria and the neighbouring countries. The railway is connected to Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) by wagon ferries across the Lake Victoria and via Malaba and to the Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) through a link from the Tanga line (Tanzania) to the rail network at Taveta (Kenya).

Aviation
WFP Aviation has chartered a B-200, on behalf of UNHCR for the transportation of passengers out of Nairobi. Although WFP has thus far no direct involvement in the detailed management of the aircraft, it is planned to ensure this operation is incorporated into the WFP UNHAS Somalia overall management for improved transparency and safety.