Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA) wants Busia Kenya and Uganda get some percentage arising from improved customs revenue yields in Busia and Malaba border points.
TMEA Chief Technical Officer Allen Asiimwe said the Integrated Border Management has led to the improvement of systems at the border points of Busia and Malaba hence improved transparency.
“Through the transparency a lot of increased customs revenue has been realized; I want to hope that some of that money comes back to Busia,” she said.
Asiimwe had accompanied the Canadian High Commissioner to Kenya Lisa Stadelbauer during the tour of Busia County where they held talks with the County Officials led by Deputy Governor Moses Mulomi.
At the Busia One Stop Border Post, Kenya and Uganda Revenue Authorities officers agreed that customs revenue has recorded tremendous increase due to improved border management.
Despite the increase in customs revenue, KRA cited some challenges including the national road (Kisumu-Busia Road) leading to OSBP which is too narrow and in poor state.
The other challenges includes insufficient facilities, scanners, screening machines, ambulance (port health), and obstruction of traffic flow to and from the OSBP caused by buses /matatus picking and dropping passengers by road side.
Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong in February cited lack of terms of engagement as the main reason border counties were losing a lot of natural resources.
Speaking while receiving a team that is working on the proposed Busia Integrated Jumuiya Cross Border market led by Director-Integration in the Ministry of EAC, Dr. Alice Yalla, the Governor said failure by the National Government to execute its mandate has put leaders of such counties on a coalition course with their residents.
“We lost our parking yard in Malaba to Kenya Revenue Authority for use on temporary basis but they have now acquired the title without our blessings.
We also lost pieces of land in Malaba and Busia towards construction of One Stop Border Post in return for trailer parks but which never came to fruition, thus the need for terms of engagement before execution of any task,” he said.
The Governor said his Government will support the Jumuiya market project but with assurance that the residents will benefit from economies of scale and the county from the share of accrued revenue.