Covid-19 charges turn into non-tariff barrier to EAC trade

Covid-19 certification is slowly turning into a new non-tariff barrier to the free movement of people and goods in the East African region, delaying economic recovery.

And the assessment by the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat in Arusha, Tanzania, is that the irregular charges and a mismatch in demands for Covid-19 certificates mean the region may take longer to recover from the effects of the pandemic, which saw all the six member states suffer economic turmoil.

Dr Peter Mathuki, EAC secretary-general, said on Friday member states must speed up the adoption of a common document for movement in this pandemic times, known as the EACPass.

The pass, he said, will remove the snarl-ups seen at border crossings recently as travellers are asked to retest for Covid-19, regardless of whether they were carrying a negative certificate.

“Harmonisation of Covid-19 charges and coordinated waiting time for Covid-19 results is critical to facilitate business continuity and ease the cost of doing business,” Dr Mathuki said in a statement on Friday.

His comments came after truck drivers and passengers protested incessant delays at the Busia and Malaba crossings on the Kenya-Uganda border.

Since Christmas Day, there were long queues as drivers and passengers from the Kenyan side were asked to retake Covid-19 tests even when they presented valid lab results.

Uganda, since October, had been demanding fresh tests for passengers arriving in that country by air. But from December, public health officials said they had detected rising cases of new infections coming through land borders.

Compulsory testing

Dr Henry G. Mwebesa, the country’s director-general for health services, announced compulsory testing at all land border points including Malaba and Busia on the border with Kenya, Elegu (South Sudan), Mutukula (Tanzania) and Mpondwe (DR Congo).

“The ministry (of health) is also intensifying mandatory testing, and follow-up of cases for all incoming travellers at the five major points of entry,” Dr Mwebesa said.

“The testing will be implemented by the private sector already existing at the points of entry as the ministry of health builds adequate capacity to take over, just as we did at Entebbe International Airport.”

Previously, arrivals via land were only required to show a valid negative PCR certificate obtained from an accredited lab in their countries of origin.

But even with the new policy, travellers say there has been no clarity on whether to take rapid or PCR tests. By last weekend, Uganda was not giving testing certificates to travellers who retested at the border, even though it was charging for PCR tests, about Sh3,600. 

Travellers were not being admitted without valid PCR certificates from Kenya, but they could also not be allowed to enter the country without taking a fresh test. A PCR test for travellers in Kenya costs about Sh5,000 although truck drivers had been paying a subsidised rate to ease movement.

Immigration officials from both sides were also under strict instructions not to approve travel documents for those who had not retaken a test at the border, even when they carried valid lab certificates from Kenya.

For its part, Kenya has also imposed travel conditions on those arriving from neighbouring countries and beyond.

Border crossings

Whether by air or land, no traveller is allowed in without a Covid-19 vaccination certificate, in addition to valid negative lab results.

Dr Mathuki said there is a need to speed up a common pass because the Busia and Malaba border crossings on the Northern Corridor also serve countries beyond Uganda.

Some EAC member states had been piloting the EACPass but it has yet to be adopted by all. It is supposed to integrate all accredited labs in the region, allowing travellers to only carry the documents without being charged to retest. 

Once a passenger takes a test, the results are automatically uploaded on a platform accessible to all port health authorities.

“This is set to build confidence in all partner states since certificates are digitally authenticated from all accredited laboratories in the region,” Dr Mathuki said.

But each of the countries has had varied policies. In Uganda, private labs were used for tests at the border, even though there is no track-tracing of those who enter the country. 

In fact, Kenya and Uganda had already signed on to the Trusted Travel service launched by the African Union in 2020. Port health officials at the Busia and Malaba crossings were no longer using the service and were demanding travellers carry printed results before retaking tests.

The pass had been approved at a meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers responsible for health held in December but implementation may take longer.