NO BREAKTHROUGH ON DAR-NAIROBI BORDER IMPASSE

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Truck drivers are seen near their parked vehicles as they await test results, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak at the Namanga one stop border crossing point between Kenya and Tanzania in Namanga, Kenya, May 12, 2020. Picture taken May 12, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE situation at Tanzania-Kenya borders remains fragile as truck drivers from the two countries are obstructed from entering either side through Namanga and Holili/Taveta frontiers.

The border tension between the two biggest regional economies resurfaced last week after Kenya defied the Dar es Salaam-Nairobi agreement on smooth cross border trade amid Covid-19 outbreak.

Once again, Kenyan authorities were the provokers after opting to block truckers from Tanzania at Namanga One Stop Border Post (OSBP) claiming that their Covid-19 negative certificates were not genuine.

Ironically, the Kenyans wanted their drivers to cross to Tanzania without testing, something that led Tanzanian district and regional authorities to refuse their entry to the country.

Drivers are consequently frustrated as they are stranded at the busier border posts with long queues of trucks, as there is still no light on the immediate solution to the standoff.

Longido District Commissioner (DC), Mr Frank Mwaisumbe confided with the ‘Daily News’ that while the situation remained unchanged until yesterday afternoon, there were different meetings taking place to find a solution to the problem sooner than later, but was not sure when the matter will be resolved.

Mr Mwaisumbe said that there were officials from Tanzania in Nairobi, Kenya and was hopeful that by today at least more information on the outcome of the talks will be divulged.

“The situation has not changed; drivers are stranded at the border in long queues at both ends of their country’s frontiers. The matter has been taken up at higher levels of the government and I am waiting to see what will be decided. No breakthrough until now,” DC Mwaisumbe told the ‘Daily News’ yesterday afternoon.

The tension that was replicated to another border – Holili/Taveta OSBP a day after incidents of blocking truckers at Namanga was the same until yesterday, drivers being left in hindrances from each country.

The OSBP, which is first to be operationalised among the 15 OSBPs in East African Community (EAC) remained idle for most hours.

Rombo DC, Ms Grace Hokororo said she expected to tour the area today to see if they could find any solution to the impasse.

Today, the Deputy Minister for Health, Social Development, Gender, Elders and Children, Dr Godwin Molle is expected to pay a visit at the Holili/Taveta OSBP.

The development is contrary to the agreement reached at Arusha by transport ministers of the two countries at the climax of their one-day meeting at Namanga border on May 22.

Kenya claims that they do not trust Tanzanians’ certificates and laboratories while that has never been an issue in the bilateral meetings.

The one stop border post concept was meant to reduce the number of stops incurred in a cross-border trade transaction by combining the activities of both countries’ border organisations at a single location with simplified exit and entry procedures. Motor vehicles and pedestrians only stop in the country of entry and perform exit and entry border formalities.

One-stop is achieved by placing the border officials of two adjoining countries at each other’s adjoining border post so that each border post controls only the traffic entering the country.

The exit formalities of the exit country and the entry formalities of the country of entry are carried out at the border posts in the country of entry.

It is more than two weeks since President John Magufuli and his Kenyan counterpart, Mr Uhuru Kenyata had a diplomatic gesture and consequently ministers responsible for transport from both countries met and struck an agreement on Covid-19 measures.

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