Empty containers entering Kenya from Uganda will from today be cleared through the Lwakhakha border to ease delays and congestion at Malaba and Busia One Stop Border Post, according to a notice issued to transporters by revenue authorities.
Ugandans have been using the 44.5 Kilometre-long Bumbobi-Lwakhakha road, to enter into Bungoma County, western Kenya since last December when the road was opened.
The road, which was commissioned in December by President Yoweri Museveni, was upgraded to tarmac from all-weather courtesy of a Ush140 billion ($37.6 million loan from the African Development Bank in 2016.
Welcoming the move, Kenya Transporters Association (KTA) Chief Executive Officer Mr Dennis Ombok said that this comes at a time that the Malaba and Busia border posts were facing delays to clear trucks on both sides in which he attributed to slowness by customs officials.
These delays are not related to COVID 19, which has been addressed through the Regional Electronic Cargo and Drivers Tracking System (RECDTS), according to Ombok.
The East African Community (EAC) region last year adopted the RECDTS which has registered drivers in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
The EAC secretariat developed this application with the funding from European Union, Global Affairs Canada, Danida, Finland, Netherlands and the United Kingdom through Trademark East Africa (TMEA).
This application was conceived to address the challenges manual certificates faced that included multiple testing of truck drivers at border crossing since there was no framework of mutual recognition of testing and test results across borders.
Covid 19 certificate is now generated electronically and every step, data and information about a driver monitored at a common command center in Nairobi.
The Federation of East Africa Freight Forwarders Associations (FEAFFA) due to its regional reach took lead in mobilizing industry stakeholders.
Uganda Trade minister Amelia Kyambadde in December told the media that the road will also benefit South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda all of which use the route as a transit point for most of their inbound and outbound cargo.
“Kenya is our main connection to the outside world by sea and having such roads built will greatly improve trade not just between the two countries but within the entire region. Doing business will be cheaper and transportation of goods will be faster,” she said.
Kenya is Uganda’ biggest trade partner with Uganda importing goods worth $600 million from Kenya while Kenya imports goods worth about $500 million from Uganda.
The use of this border comes at a time when the East African Business Council (EABC) has recommended a number of measures to enhance seamless flow of the cargo at Busia Border as transit cargo.
Following a visit to the border post recently, EABC recommended improvement of the infrastructure at the Busia One Stop Border Post to construction of a 4-lane road to ease cargo clearance- General cargo, passengers, fresh produce and hazardous product
The team recommended creation of parking for trucks near the Busia OSBP. Also, there is a need for a cargo scanner on the border post to minimize human error, which EABC committed to continue engaging revenue authorities on its installation.
“Insufficient Parking Space for cargo trucks along the northern transport corridor trunk routes still pauses a safety challenge for the traders and border communities,” Dr. Peter Mutuku Mathuki, EABC Chief Executive said.
Insufficient parking space for cargo trucks along the northern transport corridor trunk routes still pauses a safety challenge for the traders and border communities.
