To bring the Change Strategy to life, the Agency recognises the challenges posed by change of those organisational elements and has developed a Change Management Strategy which understands the environment of today and the proposed ‘Trade Made Simple’ environment and the impact it presents to various stakeholders. It then presents the engagement processes in terms of Change Management Plans required to bring the changes to life.
Business Reasons for the Change Management Strategy and Plan
Change Management Strategy and Plan is to facilitate the adoption and use of the changes proposed by the Change Strategy. The Change Management Strategy outlines the stakeholders impacted, the level of impact expected and the risks to changes. The Change Management Plans identifies which levers are appropriate to drive the stakeholders forward in the engagement process from the initial Awareness to sustaining the Changes.
Risks of Not Implementing the Change Management Strategy and Plan
An analysis conducted under the Change Management Strategy pinpoint a High-Risk Initiative given the scope of the Projects/initiatives involved and the level of stakeholder readiness for change. An estimated high dependency rate of 70 percent on people to do things differently has been profiled if ‘Trade Made Simple environment’ is to be attained. In other words, if people do not adopt the change, the planned objectives and anticipated benefits of ‘Trade made simple’ will be compromised.
How It Impacts People
- Public Sector: E Estimated 26 Public Sector Organizations are on the line of impact from Trade Made Simple initiatives.
(Should link back to Government Agencies) - Private Sector: Exporters and Importers (EXIMS), Clearing Agents, Shipping Lines estimated at 18,000 users impacted by changes. (Should link back to Private Sector Stakeholders)
The Agency has since then embarked on putting in place Change Agent Representatives from impacted organisations and constituted them under the Change Agent Network (CAN) and also allocated responsibility to Management under the Adopt A Stakeholder (AAS) Programme to support most impacted organisations.
Projects Under Trade Made Simple
Below are the projects constituting Trade Made Simple, including their business reasons, risks, and
expected stakeholder impacts. (Should link to Key Projects impacting an organisation)
Integrated Protocol Management Information System (IPMIS)
Status: Ongoing
Project Overview
The IPMIS–TFP Integration Project connects the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ IPMIS with
KenTrade’s Trade Facilitation Platform (TFP) and the Kenya Revenue Authority’s iCMS. It
automates the processing of diplomatic exemptions (PRO 1A and PRO 1B) end‑to‑end, enabling
online applications, electronic approvals, and digital confirmations without paperwork.
Business Reasons for the Project
- Eliminates physical submission of exemption forms
- Reduces approval turnaround time
- Improves accuracy and eliminates duplication across MFA, KenTrade, and KRA
- Enhances transparency and prevents misuse
- Improves reporting and tracking of exemption quotas and utilization
- Strengthens cross‑agency coordination
Risks of Not Implementing the Change
- Continued delays in exemption approvals
- Increased risk of document loss, forgery, or misuse
- Limited ability to track diplomatic quota usage
- Continued physical visits to government offices
- Fragmented reporting across MFA, KenTrade, and KRA
- Higher operational costs due to manual handling
Impact on Stakeholders
- Kenya Revenue Authority — electronic approvals in iCMS
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs — digital approvals and transmission in IPMIS
- Diplomatic Community — online submission and real‑time tracking
- KenTrade — secure automated message exchange and integration oversight
- Clearing Agents — use system‑generated exemption references
Conclusion
The IPMIS–TFP integration replaces a paper‑driven process with a transparent, traceable,
fully digital workflow, strengthening accountability and improving service delivery.
PHARMACY AND POISONS BOARD (PPB) INTEGRATION
Project Manager: (Upload space)
Status of the Project: Ongoing
Details of the Project :
The PPB Project enhances how pharmaceutical import and export permits are processed by integrating the Pharmacy and Poisons Board Integrated Management Information System (PPB IMS) with the Trade Facilitation Platform (TFP).
Currently, traders apply for PPB permits through TFP, but critical processing steps still happen separately within PPB systems. This project strengthens the link between the two systems so that permit administration and cargo release information flows automatically and in real time.
The integration will allow:
- Permit applications submitted on TFP to be processed directly within PPB IMS
- Payment, screening, evaluation, approval, and rejection statuses to be exchanged automatically
- Cargo inspection and release decisions to be reflected instantly in the Single Window
In simple terms: It connects PPB’s internal regulatory system directly to the national trade platform so approvals and cargo release happen faster, cleaner, and with full regulatory control.
Business Reasons for the Project
Pharmaceutical trade requires speed, accuracy, and strict regulatory oversight. Fragmented systems slow this down.
The business reasons for change are:
- Need for Seamless Information Exchange: Manual or semi-manual updates between systems cause delays and errors in permit processing and cargo release.
- Stronger Regulatory Control: Direct system integration ensures PPB controls remain central to import/export decisions, especially for high-risk health products.
- Faster Cargo Clearance: Automated status updates reduce waiting time at ports and minimize clearance delays.
- Improved Transparency and Traceability:Every permit, payment, inspection, and decision is logged and auditable.
- Regional and Global Alignment:Integration with the EAC Regional Information Management System supports joint medicine registration, inspections, and approvals across borders.
This project ensures that trade facilitation does not compromise public health protection.
Risks of Not Changing (Danger of Stagnation)
If PPB systems remain loosely connected:
- Permit processing will remain slow and fragmented
- Cargo clearance delays will persist
- Manual follow-ups will continue
- Risk of data inconsistencies increases
- Regulatory decisions may be delayed or duplicated
- Kenya risks falling behind regional regulatory integration efforts
Impact on Stakeholders
-
- Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB)
- Automated permit screening and evaluation
- Real-time visibility of applications and cargo status
- Better coordination between headquarters and ports of entry
- Stronger enforcement using risk-based inspection
Short-term: system familiarization.
Long-term: faster approvals and stronger regulatory oversight.
-
- Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade)
- Implements and manages the integration
- Strengthens the Single Window as the central trade gateway
- Improves inter-agency coordination
- Impact: deeper system interoperability and stronger platform credibility.
- Clearing Agents and Port Operators
- Clear visibility of permit and cargo release status
- Fewer manual checks and follow-ups
Impact: smoother port operations.
- Regional and Development Partners (EAC & TMEA)
- Enables regional data sharing
- Supports harmonized regulatory controls
- Strengthens regional trade and health security
MARITIME SINGLE WINDOW SYSTEM (MSWS)
Project Manager: (Upload space)
Status of the Project: Ongoing
Details of the Project :
The PPB Project enhances how pharmaceutical import and export permits are processed by integrating the Pharmacy and Poisons Board Integrated Management Information System (PPB IMS) with the Trade Facilitation Platform (TFP).
Currently, traders apply for PPB permits through TFP, but critical processing steps still happen separately within PPB systems. This project strengthens the link between the two systems so that permit administration and cargo release information flows automatically and in real time.
The integration will allow:
- Permit applications submitted on TFP to be processed directly within PPB IMS
- Payment, screening, evaluation, approval, and rejection statuses to be exchanged automatically
- Cargo inspection and release decisions to be reflected instantly in the Single Window
In simple terms: It connects PPB’s internal regulatory system directly to the national trade platform so approvals and cargo release happen faster, cleaner, and with full regulatory control.
Business Reasons for the Project
Pharmaceutical trade requires speed, accuracy, and strict regulatory oversight. Fragmented systems slow this down.
The business reasons for change are:
- Need for Seamless Information Exchange: Manual or semi-manual updates between systems cause delays and errors in permit processing and cargo release.
- Stronger Regulatory Control: Direct system integration ensures PPB controls remain central to import/export decisions, especially for high-risk health products.
- Faster Cargo Clearance: Automated status updates reduce waiting time at ports and minimize clearance delays.
- Improved Transparency and Traceability:Every permit, payment, inspection, and decision is logged and auditable.
- Regional and Global Alignment:Integration with the EAC Regional Information Management System supports joint medicine registration, inspections, and approvals across borders.
This project ensures that trade facilitation does not compromise public health protection.
Risks of Not Changing (Danger of Stagnation)
If PPB systems remain loosely connected:
- Permit processing will remain slow and fragmented
- Cargo clearance delays will persist
- Manual follow-ups will continue
- Risk of data inconsistencies increases
- Regulatory decisions may be delayed or duplicated
- Kenya risks falling behind regional regulatory integration efforts
Impact on Stakeholders
-
- Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB)
- Automated permit screening and evaluation
- Real-time visibility of applications and cargo status
- Better coordination between headquarters and ports of entry
- Stronger enforcement using risk-based inspection
Short-term: system familiarization.
Long-term: faster approvals and stronger regulatory oversight.
-
- Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade)
- Implements and manages the integration
- Strengthens the Single Window as the central trade gateway
- Improves inter-agency coordination
- Impact: deeper system interoperability and stronger platform credibility.
- Clearing Agents and Port Operators
- Clear visibility of permit and cargo release status
- Fewer manual checks and follow-ups
Impact: smoother port operations.
- Regional and Development Partners (EAC & TMEA)
- Enables regional data sharing
- Supports harmonized regulatory controls
- Strengthens regional trade and health security
