Revenue collected at the Gatuna One Stop Border Post (OSBP) has increased following the reopening of the Uganda-Rwanda border early this year. Each month, Ush 470 million revenue is collected, which is above the target of 400 million shillings, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, a Senior Presidential Adviser on Special Operations and Commander of Land Forces of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) wrote on his Twitter account.
In January this year, General Mohoozi met President Paul Kagame in Kigali to discuss bilateral ties between the two countries which had deteriorated further since the 4th Quadripartite Summit held at Gatuna/Katuna on February 21, 2020. Shortly after the meeting, the OSBP was re-oped after 3 years of closure.
The reopening of the border, which Rwanda said closed to prevent more Rwandans from going to Uganda, for their own safety, was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation on Friday, January 28, 2022.
The OSBP has now been upgraded with state of art immigration and customs complex as well as a mega cargo scanner. It is the busiest import and export corridor preferred by cargo transporters in both countries and those transiting beyond the borders to DR Congo and Burundi. It is also the cheaper and shorter distance to and from the Mombasa Port.
The East Africa Community (EAC), with the support of TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) worked on completing the Malaba OSBP on the Kenya-Uganda border. The post cost US$7.5 million. TMEA has also supported the construction of OSBPs at Elegu/Nimule (Uganda/South Sudan Border), Tunduma’Nakonde (Tanzania/Zambia), and Moyale (Kenya/Ethiopia). All these are in operation currently.
TMEA is an aid-for-trade organization that was established in 2010 with an aim of growing prosperity in East Africa through increased trade.
Its work revolves around reducing trade barriers through improved transportation and logistics systems, digitization of key trade processes, enhanced standards, and SPS compliance, and targeted interventions supporting women and youth in Small and Medium Enterprises in critical sectors.
