Uganda’s President, YoweriMuseveni has called for the installation of X-ray technology to check loaded trucks at border points.
Museveni made this call on Saturday during the launch of the One Stop Border Post (OSBP) in Busia district, eastern Uganda.
“The Busia facility will be improved. For example, we need X-ray technology to check loaded trucks and stop this method of manual checking. We need to use modern technology,” Museveni said.
He added, “We are also working on using radar stations on the lake to curb fish smuggling and catching immature fish.”
He was joined by his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta during the launch of the post billed to reduce time spent clearing transfer of goods on both sides. Uganda Revenue Authority officials were also present at the colorful ceremony.
It is the second busiest entry point in Uganda. It is approximately 200km, east of Kampala and 431km west of Nairobi city.
Under the Busia OSBP , all government agencies from Uganda and Kenya work together under one roof to complete all entry and exit formalities for both passenger and cargo. Persons & goods therefore stop only once in the country of import.
Museveni hailed the event saying it is an indication that Africans are finally waking up from the slumber that kept them undeveloped.
“For a long time, Africans have been asleep but what we have done today shows that Africa is getting out of slumber. Lack of unity, coupled with these border separations, have had catastrophic consequences on us. This explains my push for integration of East Africa and Africa. Integration ensures prosperity of our people through trade and services. This one-stop border will make it easy for trade to happen,” the president said.
There is expected to be faster border clearance under the One Stop Border Post setting and limited duplication of border agency interventions facilitates freedom of movement for persons and goods reducing costs significantly as a result.
“The time taken to do trade in East Africa is going to be saved. The completion of the Busia-Busia One Stop Border Post is a great achievement for the two, Republic of Uganda and the Republic of Kenya,” Frank Matsaert, the CEO, Trademark East Africa said at the function.
Trademark East Africa helped fund the project.
Since the operationalization of the Busia OSBP commenced , revenue collections have grown by 45% at the border from UGX 436,276,583,415 in FY 2013/14 to798,470,584,718 UGX in to FY 2016/17.
The Busia crossing point is among the 13 border posts in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi &Tanzania that have been converted from ‘two-stop’ border posts into OSBPs to facilitate movement of people and goods across the East African Community.
