Politics and policy
President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni
during bilateral talks at State House, Kampala on Saturday. PHOTO |
PSCU
By GEORGE NGIGI
Bureaucrats in Kenya and Uganda have been accused of slowing business between the two neighbours through unrealistic policies.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is on a State visit to Uganda,
challenged bureaucrats to formulate policies that facilitate
integration rather than hinder East Africans from doing business and
communicating with each other.
“We were charting our bilateral way forward when
bureaucrats started telling us about legal aspects as concerns movement
of certain goods and services. I reminded them that if you go across to
Busia or Namanga on the border with Tanzania, these people don’t
recognise what you are doing in Nairobi and Kampala; they are moving and
doing business freely,” said President Kenyatta.
Recently trade disputes have erupted between the
neighbours, including cancellation of sugar exports into Kenya from
Uganda, ill treatment of Ugandan cargo importers at the Mombasa port and
restrictions by Ugandan Authorities on Kenyan beef and cigarette
exports. The two countries are also yet to resolve a border dispute involving Migingo Island.
Kenya’s exports to Uganda have slipped in the last
three years to Sh60.7 billion last year from a high of Sh75.9 billion in
2011. Uganda, however, remains the largest market for Kenyan exports.
“I am here with my delegation to see how we can
share ideas, opportunities and collaborate in resolving the problems
that we face,” said President Kenyatta.
He said Kenya and Uganda have progressed in
accelerating integration but more efforts are required to ensure all EAC
member states move together in deepening cooperation as a region.
Slow decision making by Tanzania and Burundi has
seen Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda move to sign co-operation agreements under
what has been referred to as “coalition of the willing”.
Kenya and Uganda are also expected to make a
decision by end of September on the route for a crude pipeline linking
their newly found oil fields to the Kenyan coast.
Two possible routes have been proposed with
contracted oil firms saying they cannot make progress with their final
investment decision on developing the oil discoveries until the pipeline
route and related costs are clear
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