Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania used to be members of the East African Community, EAC, until its demise in the 1980s. Now, there are signs to show that the renewed integration effort in East Africa is moving well. President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Ugandan counterpart last weekend launched the Busia One-Stop Border Post to enhance efficiency at the Kenya-Uganda border.
The two Heads of State want to bridge their countries’ traditional two stops for border processing into one, in order to improve efficiency in immigration clearance and ease the movement of goods and people.
The customs facility comprises offices and space for immigration processes and verification; warehousing and cold rooms for the goods traded across the border; and facilities for expediting trade.
The first one-stop border post to be inaugurated under the EAC integration plan was at Taveta/Holili on the Kenya-Tanzania border.
President Kenyatta said the commitment of the region’s leaders has led to progress in the integration process and declared that similar facilities would be established in all border points. “I am glad that the people and the leadership of the EAC have taken this point to heart. Wherever I go in the region, I find a new appreciation of the importance of integration, and a new commitment to bringing the people of East Africa together,” he said.
His Ugandan counterpart is equally enthusiastic. President Museveni said economic integration will bring prosperity, security and unity in the region.
Top officials from the two sides and relevant agencies attended the event. The Governor of Busia, Sospeter Ojaamong as well as Kenyan Cabinet Secretaries for Foreign Affairs and Transport were also at Busia border post.
