Kenya Finally Lifts Ban on Uganda Sugar

{{Eight months after blocking Uganda’s sugar at the Busia border, Kenyan authorities have allowed 220,000 metric tonnes of the commodity into its market.}}

In October last year, the Kenyan authorities—Kenya Sugar Board and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) — intercepted a number of trucks at the Busia border, on the grounds that they carried duty free sugar.

Kenya accused Uganda of allegedly re-exporting sugar to their country that was imported at a time when the government had waived taxes on the commodity as it sought to correct a supply shortage created at the height of the Walk-to-Work protests.

Despite several attempts to resolve the matter, Kenya remained adamant and other Common Market for East and Central Africa (Comesa) member states started doubting Kenya’s commitment to the East African community (EAC) treaty that allows for free movement of goods and services in the common market.

Ideally there should be free movement of people, goods and services across borders but recently, some goods have been stopped from entering either country’s borders.

Zambia accused Kenya of blocking her goods into her market forcing it to retaliate by also blocking out Kenyan goods from her market.

Despite several interventions by Uganda Revenue Authority and the Ministry of Trade to have the matter resolved, KRA was reluctant to resolve the matter until the Kenyan government set up a committee to come and investigate the matter.

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