Africa: Malaba, Busia One-Stop Border Posts Ready • 2017-08-14

The one-stop border posts at Malaba and Busia are set to open this month, paving the way for speedy clearances of goods moving within the main trade corridor between Uganda and Kenya.

Richard Kamajugo, a senior managing director, Trade Mark Africa (TMA), the institution that facilitated the construction of the border post, said a lot of work had been done, and that by the middle of February, the two posts should be ready.

“I am committing that by around February 15, both countries will be connected and this will increase efficiency. The post will have officials from both countries that will clear the goods at one centre,” he said during a guided tour at the two posts in Busia and Malaba.

Currently, traders in the region are hampered by a tedious clearance procedure at the two customs points, which require inspection at both sides of the border. This process creates a lot of delays and congestion at the border posts.

Initially, it took two weeks for goods to move from the Kenyan coast of Mombasa into Uganda, with much of the delays taking place at the clearing posts. It will take roughly two days with one clearing post.

Dickson Kateshumbwa, the commissioner for customs at Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), said the initiative was long overdue, and that it was a waste of time and resources to have separate offices in one location.

“Why should we have two offices? Our offices are complete and the space for officials from Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is ready and they can occupy them any time when they are ready. We also expect the Kenyan authorities to give us space there,” he said.

Kamajugo said TMA injected $12m in the construction of one-stop border post infrastructures at Busia – Kenya/Uganda – and $1.2m for furnishing and buying computers (ICT) at both posts.

TMA also funded the furnishing and buying of computers (ICT) of the one-stop border post Malaba- Kenya/Uganda at $1.2m.

Source: All Africa