End snarl-ups at border
What you need to know:
- The build-up is so huge it has overwhelmed the health officials conducting the tests.
- The delays risk rolling back gains such as reduced time to transport cargo from Mombasa.
The Covid-19 test snarl-up stretching more than 70 kilometres to the Uganda border is punishing truck drivers with long days on the road besides huge losses for transporters and businesses. It was created by Ugandan officials demanding Sh3,600 for the test and a build-up of truckers after they went on strike for about three weeks.
Even after the charge was lifted following a meeting by the East African Community officials, the build-up is so huge it has overwhelmed the health officials conducting the tests. New cargo keeps arriving, which requires officials to deploy more resources to the border to handle this exceptional case.
Efficiency is the competitive advantage of Kenya’s Northern Corridor over Tanzania’s Central Corridor. Uganda is Kenya’s biggest trading partner. It is also the gateway to hinterland countries Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. The delays risk rolling back gains such as reduced time to transport cargo from Mombasa.
The target transit time for cargo from Mombasa to Malaba and Busia border points is 72 hours. Busia and Malaba border posts, both the first exit points from Kenya to Uganda, are 947km and 933km, respectively, from Mombasa.
Covid-19 is proving to be East Africa’s biggest non-tariff barrier, disrupting cross-border movement and extending cargo delivery time as truckers process test results in line with the health protocols. It is time Kenya and Ugandan health authorities jointly mobilised teams to speed up the testing.
The crisis calls for a lasting solution. A regional digitised database that can be used across EAC member states to identify valid coronavirus tests and allow free movement in the region can be a good starting point.
