Uhuru and Magufuli will open a border center in Namanga

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Tanzanian counterpart, John Magufuli, are about to launch the Namanga border crossing tomorrow, amid unresolved trade disputes between the two countries.

The Namanga Single Window Border Crossing (OSBP) is one of twelve that have been launched or are in the process of facilitating trade within the bloc of the six countries of the Community. from East Africa (CAE).

The consolidation of border control functions in the shared space between the two countries aims to reduce the processing time of traders' clearance of merchandise. The Namanga substation, whose construction began in 2014, has been open since last October. According to information, the official launch had been suspended earlier in the year due to the late installation of electronic equipment.

"The launch of Namanga OSBP paves the way for the rapid clearance of goods moving through the main trade corridor between Kenya and Tanzania," the Kenya Revenue Authority said in a note inviting guests.

"The Namanga OSBP is part of the EAC regional initiative implemented jointly with Kenya and Tanzania, with the support of development partners through the Japan International Cooperation Agency. and the AfDB (African Development Bank). "

Kenyatta and Magufuli are likely to return to immortal commercial feuds between the two countries' bureaucrats, since they settled disputes at a meeting in Uganda in February 2018.

Besides Namanga, Holili, Horohoro and Sirali are other border points between Kenya and Tanzania.