By Arap D
Some immediate take-aways from today’s bilateral talks between Presidents Museveni and Kenyatta in Mombasa, Kenya.
1. Uganda will increase its sugar exports to Kenya from current 36,000 metric tonnes annually to 90,000 metric tonnes.
2. In a week’s time, Uganda should resume its poultry exports to Kenya, which had been stopped when local dealers sought “protection” from the Kenyan government.
3. The red tape that Ugandan dairy producers were facing as they exported to Kenya will significantly reduce. These “sign here, sign there” demands had greatly affected dairy exports. For example, Ugandans will no longer need to obtain authority from the Principal Secretary, Livestock Department, to export dairy products to Kenya.
4. In a fortnight, Kenya standards agencies and their Ugandan counterparts will undertake a joint verification on the quality of tiles from Uganda, to expedite the process of them being sold in Kenya.
5. Kenyan beef exporters should smile. The long-standing ban on beef imports from Kenya to Uganda has been lifted immediately. This ban, which dates back to 1996, was imposed following a mad cow outbreak in Kenya.
Also, we shall take advantage of the petroleum facility built in Kisumu so that we transport our petroleum products across Lake Victoria and save our roads from wear and tear occasioned by the heavy trucks.
— Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) March 28, 2019
We also look forward to partnering on other projects with our Kenyan brothers. For example, they have offered us land to build a dry port at Naivasha. The SGR is a project we are partnering on.
— Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) March 28, 2019
I must thank the Kenyan government and President Uhuru in particular for ensuring that goods destined for Uganda are cleared in shortest time possible at the Mombasa Port. It is something we had grappled with for a while but was fixed the moment President Uhuru came to office. pic.twitter.com/KU0WqrvsRl
— Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) March 28, 2019
Our emphasis and push for integration is hinged on the fact that we need a big market for the products produced by our private sector. You cannot only rely on your internal market. It is why we preach EAC unity, COMESA and now the Continental Free Trade Area. pic.twitter.com/DDtdWN7aAK
— Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) March 28, 2019
In Uganda's case, we are focusing on reducing costs of doing business by ensuring steady supply of cheap electricity, working on infrastructure like roads and the railway, while also capitalizing UDB so that manufacturers can borrow money at low interest. pic.twitter.com/A5o8aT9YGb
— Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) March 28, 2019
