This archive report was first published on 1 November 2021.
Kenya and Uganda are embroiled in a new trade dispute over 300 tonnes of fish destined for export to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to reports, officials from Uganda's Fisheries Protection Unit (FPU) at the Mpondwe border impounded five Kenyan trucks carrying fish last month, claiming the fish was immature and from Ugandan lakes.
However, the director of Fisheries at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Ms Joyce Ikwaput, claimed the fish was from Lake Kyoga in central Uganda.
Mr Hassan Ahmad, a fish exporter, said he has been unable to export any fish to DR Congo for the past two weeks due to the uncertainty surrounding the safety of his goods.
Mr Hassan Omari, another trader, expressed concerns that the 300 tonnes of fish may never be exported.
The dispute has raised fears of a trade row between Kampala and Nairobi, with Mr Godfrey Oundo Ongwabe, the national cross-border trade chairperson in Uganda, calling for an investigation into the allegations of smuggling immature fish.
Mr David Ogeya, another fish exporter, said the impounding of the fish was against the East African Community protocol on free trade.
