The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Busia, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Dozens of trucks loaded with agricultural produce are stuck at Busia customs border due to restrictions by Kenyan authorities blocking movement of traffic across its borders.
This follows a ban on travels both inland and outside the country with the exception of cargo trucks and planes as part of the preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19, a new strain of coronavirus that has claimed thousands of lives across the world.
Security at the Uganda, Kenya border has been heightened since Monday. As a result, truckloads of sugarcane, tomatoes, fish and vegetables are held at the border in Busia.
Eunice Kamusi Nsubuga, a Sugarcane truck driver from Mayuge district, says that they are not allowed to enter Kenya even after being cleared by Ugandan authorities. He appeals to concerned authorities to intervene to allow them take their sugarcane to the market.
Martin Angocha, another driver says that they have other goods they are supposed to pick up from Kenya but have been denied access.
Simon Sando’s, a truck driver says that he has moved a long distance from Rwanda and he is supposed to deliver goods to Mombasa but is now stuck.
Elepot Eriya, the Busia District Police Commander, says they have received complaints and referred the matter to the Resident District Commissioner to engage his Kenyan counterparts to permit traders transact their businesses.
Paul Kalikwan, the Busia Deputy Resident District Commissioner, says that they are laying strategies on how to engage Kenyan authorities so that traders are allowed to transact business without disruption.
Both Kenya and Uganda have confirmed COVID19 cases.
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It is called economic sabotage.
It seems Kenyans do not wish Ugandans economy well. E.g., two months ago; by blocking the export of Lato Milk powder to Kenya, Kenya succeeded in sabotaging our dairy farmers business.
As a result the price of raw milk in Western Uganda (Ankole sub-region) dropped to a miserable Shs.100 per liter. It is now the turn for the price of raw sugarcane to go under.
It is like a syndicated move because also; coming to one year since Rwanda also closed its border and succeeded in driving some of Ugandans businesses under. Sometime I wonder what has Ugandans done to her immediate neighbors. In other words, our wide-openness (even for refugees) has been reciprocated with insults and disdain. And sometimes with instant death by shooting by the armed forces of our neighbors.
This is one of the signal that Ugandans (government) should wake up and stopped relying on its immediate neighbors for for export of some of their agricultural products.
It was Amin who strategically knew how to deal with hostile international community and also her neighbors:
The man resorted to military strategy to deal with international economic embargo, which he cheekily branded “Economic War”. e.g. when Kenya closed her border, and in order to continue exporting coffee to friendly countries Amin immediately bought in cash a number of the C-10 cargo planes.