Murkomen Swings to Action After Uproar From Uganda-Bound Drivers

A collage of Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen (left) and trucks on the Eldoret-Malaba Highway (right)

Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Tuesday, May 30 joined forces with the Ugandan government to restore normalcy along Eldoret-Malaba Highway amid uproar from truck drivers.

Murkomen announced plans to install more improved digital scanners at the Malaba and Busia One-Stop Border Posts (OSBP) as a way of reducing time wasted to clear trucks at the border.

"After much deliberation, the scanning process has been identified as the main challenge that has contributed largely to the heavy traffic witnessed within the border," the CS stated.

A Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) train while in transit on June 18, 2021.

"We have suggested increasing the number of scanners within three months to boost the efficiency thus enhancing trade," Murkomen explained.

The CS noted that the partnership will ensure the movement of transit cargo was seamless to the East and Central African region.

Murkomen was inspecting the Malaba dry port when he made the remarks alongside Uganda's state minister for Works and Transport Musa Ecweru.

The Ugandan minister was in the country seeking a possible solution to the road transport menace after widespread condemnation from truck drivers and stakeholders.

"Our nature of engagements with Kenyan CS for roads was aligned in ensuring the cost of business is effective and efficient thus boosting regional integration on matters of trade and transport," Ecweru stated.

Furthermore, Murkomen emphasised that Uganda and other countries including Rwanda and Burundi were keen on expanding the Standard Guard Railway (SGR) which will boost trade.

"Our objective is to make sure the SGR in the fullness of time all the way to Congo so that it can foster the faster movement of goods and people as well as deepen integration as a region," Murkomen remarked.

According to Teso North Member of Parliament (MP) Oku Kaunya, the move by the CS will address traffic congestion and mitigate accidents.

He emphasized the role played by the truck business in boosting the economic status of the border town.

On May 16, truck drivers headed to Malaba from Uganda staged a protest after the foreign government blocked empty trucks from crossing the border.

Motorists in Busia County along the Malaba-Uganda border on June 2020