Systems compared
Electronic cargo tracking compared across East Africa
Short answer
- Regional system
- RECTS, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, launched 2017 1
- Origin
- Uganda customs electronic monitoring begun in 2013 1
- Share tracked
- About 21% of transit cargo, December 2018 1
- Rwanda cost
- US$4.5 million, as reported in April 2017 4
- Tanzania
- ECTS, Tanzania Revenue Authority 2
- DRC
- CVTFS/SYSEC listed by the DGDA 3
Tracking systems side by side
Burundi, South Sudan and Somalia are not in the table. No official page on a national tracking system for them was read for this page.
| Country | System | Run by | Status and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya 1 | RECTS 1 | Kenya customs, one of three administrations on the platform 1 | Shared platform since 2017 1 |
| Uganda 1 | RECTS, built from the 2013 Ugandan system 1 | Uganda Revenue Authority 1 | Shared platform since 2017 1 |
| Rwanda 4 | RECTS 4 | Rwanda customs 1 | Commissioned, reported 1 April 2017 4 |
| Tanzania 2 | Electronic Cargo Tracking System 2 | Tanzania Revenue Authority 2 | Project April 2019 to June 2021, control room support March 2023 2,5 |
| DRC 3 | CVTFS/SYSEC 3 | Direction Générale des Douanes et Accises 3 | Listed as an IT tool on 24 October 2026 3 |
How RECTS works
Uganda customs began electronic cargo monitoring in 2013. In 2014 the Northern Corridor authority directed partner states to harmonise e-monitoring, and Kenya and Rwanda agreed to adopt the Ugandan system 1.
The three administrations share one platform and use one seal type, so seals are not armed and disarmed at borders. They procured the devices jointly 1. The system flags route deviations and seal tampering in real time. Alerts go to monitoring centres in each country, and rapid response teams are sent out 1.
The Kenyan iCMS project included integration with RECTS for real-time cargo tracking 6. The New Times reported that the Rwandan part cost US$4.5 million, paid by the UK Department for International Development through TradeMark East Africa 4.
Reported results
The figures below come from a URA official writing in WCO News on 21 February 2019. They are not audit findings 1.
- Average transit time for cargo without tracking fell from 4.5 days in 2014 to 3.1 days in 2018 1
- Average transit time for tracked cargo fell from 1.9 days to 1.6 days 1
- Only cargo judged very high risk and sensitive is tracked, about 21% of transit cargo as of December 2018 1
- Just over 32,000 transit operations worth just under US$370 million ran through RECTS from July to December 2018 1
- Estimated saving of US$311 per consignment in demurrage and escort costs, using US$100 a day for demurrage and US$50 per escort 1
Tanzania: ECTS
TradeMark Africa describes the ECTS as a web-based system for real-time monitoring of transit cargo under customs control. It tracks goods with unpaid taxes from loading, mainly at Dar es Salaam, to destinations in Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and the DRC 2. The project page lists planned outputs, such as rapid response units, and reports no results 2.
On 6 March 2023 the Central Corridor agency reported that the ECTS control room on the 17th floor of TRA House in Dar es Salaam will be used to monitor cargo under customs control 5.
The New Times reported in April 2017 that traders urged Tanzania to join RECTS and that TradeMark East Africa had begun talks with Tanzanian officials 4. WCO News said in February 2019 that plans were under way to deploy RECTS in Tanzania and the DRC, with no completion date 1.
Common questions
What is RECTS?
The Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System shared by Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, launched in 2017 1.
Is Tanzania part of RECTS?
Not in the sources read. Tanzania runs its own ECTS, and a 2019 WCO article said RECTS deployment in Tanzania was only planned 2,1.
How much did Rwanda's part of RECTS cost?
US$4.5 million, about Rwf 3.7 billion, as reported by The New Times in April 2017 4.
Does electronic tracking cut transit time?
A URA official reported tracked cargo averaging 1.6 days in 2018, against 3.1 days for cargo without tracking 1.
Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@eastafricatradesystems.com.
Sources
- WCO News, Geofrey Balamaga, Uganda Revenue Authority: Countries in East Africa cut transit time (21 February 2019)
- TradeMark Africa, project page: Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS) (accessed 24 October 2026)
- Direction Générale des Douanes et Accises (DRC): home page (accessed 24 October 2026)
- The New Times, James Karuhanga: Cross-border traders urge Tanzania to join e-Cargo systems (1 April 2017)
- Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency: CCTTFA Executive Secretary holds meeting with Tanzania Commissioner of Customs (6 March 2023)
- TradeMark Africa, project page: Kenya Revenue Authority Customs Management System (accessed 24 October 2026)
Related
- Northern Corridor: Mombasa to the Great Lakes
The Northern Corridor links Mombasa port to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and eastern DRC. Agreement, routes, rail, port and tracking facts.
- Central Corridor: Dar es Salaam to the Great Lakes
The Central Corridor links Dar es Salaam port to Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, eastern DRC, Malawi and Zambia. Agreement, routes, border posts and volumes.
- Transit bonds and the RCTG regional guarantee
How customs transit bonds work in East Africa, the COMESA RCTG Carnet that replaces national bonds, which states take part and what the EAC law says.
- Customs management systems compared across East Africa
iCMS in Kenya, TANCIS in Tanzania, ASYCUDA World in Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, SYDONIA in the DRC. Who runs each system and its status with dates.
- EAC Single Customs Territory (SCT)
How the EAC Single Customs Territory clears goods with one declaration, when it started on each corridor, and what EAC and TRA sources say about it.