Uganda: Mutukula Border Post Completed • 2017-08-14

Construction of Mutukula one-stop border post (OSBP) in Rakai district has been completed.

The ministry of Works and Transport and Trade Mark Africa (TMA), the financiers of the project, handed over the border post to Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), which will manage the facility.

The facility has key sections such as the customs and immigration point, a goods inspection hall, a clearing agency block and staff residential houses, among others.

According to government officials, the OSBP is expected to reduce the border time clearance by 30 per cent; goods are expected to spend an average time of five hours at Mutukula, down from the previous eight hours.

Addressing journalists at the Mutukula border post, Allen Asiimwe, the country director, at Trade Mark Africa, said the facility would commence in March.

“[Mutukula] provides an alternative route to and from the sea through Dar es Salaam. This time, goods leaving Uganda will stop once for clearance from the Tanzanian side as opposed to being cleared from both countries,” she said.

TMA, with support from the United Kingdom, injected $15m (Shs 51bn) towards the construction of OSBP infrastructures at Mutukula – on the Uganda and Tanzania sides. The money will also be used to furnish offices and buy computers for both posts.

Dickson Kateshumbwa, URA’s commissioner for customs, said the revenue body is ready to manage the post and argued that the concept will ease the process of doing business in the area. He observed that over the years, business at the border post had been growing and with the OSBP facility in place, more business transactions should be expected.

“This is one of the fastest-growing border points. In a month, over 240 buses pass here, meaning eight buses daily. We also see 720 trucks coming in from Tanzania while around 250 trucks leave for Tanzania,” he said.

Statistics from URA’s office at the border point show that the revenue body collects up to Shs 6.2bn per month.

However, Kateshumbwa sounded a warning to clearing agents, cautioning them that their licences would be withdrawn if they caused any delays at the post.

Agencies that will be housed at OSBP facility will include Uganda National Bureau of Standards, National Drug Authority, ministry of Health (Public health department), ministry of Agriculture, and Immigration department.

Samson Bagonza, the director of engineering and works at MoWT, said government is in discussions with TMA and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to see that the DRC- Uganda border post is also made a one-stop border post.

Doris Akol, the commissioner general of URA, said each country will use its border laws, but the training of staff and use of ICT will be shared.

Source: All Africa