Posted on December, 3, 2018 at 10:20 am
Fred Aminga
Any inherent trade tiff between Kenya and Tanzania took a back seat as President Uhuru Kenyatta and Tanzania’s John Magufuli launched the One Stop Border Post(OSBP) at Namanga border marking a huge milestone in trade facilitation across East African Community (EAC).
The move is expected to pave way for speedy clearance of goods, eradicate myriad bottlenecks that stood in the way of efficient service delivery at the facility.
It used to take some 277 minutes to clear goods destined for Tanzania from Kenya, but now it will take about one hour meaning traders are now able to avail their products to the market faster.
Revenue received between October and February in the 2016/2017 financial year, was at Sh993 million compared to Sh46 billion collected over the same period in the 2017/18 financial year or Sh466 million increases in revenue collected.
The two presidents sent a warning to customs and immigration officials manning borders against engaging in corruption which they said undermines growth of trade between two countries affecting the ease of doing business for small-scale businesses in cross-border trade.
Speaking on Saturday after commissioning the Namanga one-stop border post, the two leaders called for support of small-scale traders, who they term key in growing trade between the two countries.
This comes even as trade differences especially on taxation of locally manufactured good continue.
President Kenyatta said some border officials have become a big impediment to trade.
“As leaders, we must ensure our citizens do business without barriers. Someone is given a job instead of facilitating trade they are frontline in asking for bribes. This must stop,” President Kenyatta said.
“We must make it easy for them (small traders) to do business.” The President added, noting that small scale traders and SMEs are the backbone of the economies hence the need to ensure a conducive environment for their growth.
Growth strategies
President Magufuli called for unity between the citizens of the two countries, as the governments continue to implement strategies that support growth.
“ I plead with you my Tanzanian and Kenyan brothers, let us strengthen our unity. Business is between the citizens, we as governments are facilitating the trade relations. I want to ask you at this Namanga OSBP, Both Kenya and Tanzania, work with principles that will develop the economies of the two countries,” Magufuli said.
“Uhuru and I are friends, we get along very well and I have many friends in Kenya. So I am asking you my Tanzanian brothers, lets maintain our unity. This border must build our economies, benefit households both in Kenya and Tanzania,” he added.
Strengthen co-operation
Magufuli noted that Kenya is the third top investor in Tanzania (Kenyan Investments) hence the two countries need to strengthen co-operation rather than falling apart.
The Namanga OSBP is among the 13 border posts in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania that have been converted from ‘two-stop’ border posts into single premises entity or OSBPs to facilitate movement of people and goods across the East African Community.
The other OSBPs are Busia which was commissioned in February this year, Taveta/Holili, Lunga Lunga/Hororo and Isebania/Sirari on the Kenya-Tanzania border, Malaba on the Kenya-Uganda border as well as Moyale on the Ethiopia-Kenya border. More include Mutukula, Rusumo, Nemba-Gasenyi, Ruhwa, Mirama Hills/Kagitumba and Kobero-Kabanga.
Source: MediaMax Network