This archive report was first published on 11 September 2019.
Published on September 11, 2019, a day that will be remembered by farmers in Teso South constituency as the day their livelihoods began to crumble.
Watermelon farmers in Kaliwa, Amukura, and Okatekok had been optimistic about the upcoming harvesting season, but things took a turn for the worse when tonnes of watermelons from Uganda started pouring into the country through the porous border of Sofia.
Small-scale traders would then hawk the fruits in carts while buyers from outside the county loaded their pick-ups and lorries with the fruits, leaving the local farmers with no choice but to watch their profits dwindle.
David Opeta, a farmer from Kodedema, Kaliwa, expressed his frustration, saying, "The market has been destroyed by farmers from Uganda who are bringing their watermelons in bulk into the county every morning and selling them very cheaply."
According to Robert Karani, a farmer, the low prices of watermelon seeds and chemicals in Uganda are the main reason behind the cheap imports. "The price of watermelon seeds and chemicals applied to the fruits is lower compared to what is available in Kenya," he said.
As a result, Kenyan traders are struggling to compete with their Ugandan counterparts, who are selling watermelons for as low as Sh100, while Kenyan traders are selling them for between Sh150-Sh170.
The issue is not limited to watermelon farmers alone. Fishmongers in the county have also been affected, with most of them abandoning the business due to competition from Ugandans.
"The fish traders from Uganda have denied us a market. Most of my colleagues have closed their businesses," said Jane Anyango, a fish trader.
