This archive report was first published on 18 May 2020.
Monday, May 18, 2020, marked a concerning day for Kenya's economy as the country predicted a 30 percent drop in its exports to the East African market.
According to the East African Community (EAC) and Regional Development Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed, the current delays at border points will lead to a significant decline in trade volumes this year.
Kenya, which exported Sh140 billion worth of merchandise to the five EAC markets last year, is particularly concerned about the high number of truck drivers testing positive for Covid-19 at the borders with Uganda and Tanzania.
Uganda and Tanzania remained the leading destinations of Kenyan goods, accounting for Sh64 billion and Sh33 billion of Kenya's exports to EAC respectively.
During a video conference meeting held last week, Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), and Salvar Kiir (South Sudan) agreed to adopt a harmonised system for certification and sharing of Covid-19 test results.
However, Tanzania and Burundi are not observing the regional public health measures, which has led to long queues of trucks stretching up to 40km at borders like Malaba as drivers undergo the Covid-19 testing.
President Kenyatta offered to have Kenya move all the goods heading to the landlocked countries to the Naivasha inland container depot to shorten the trucking distance.
