Kenya’s border plan to boost trade with Ethiopia

Kenya is set to build one-stop border points (OSBPs) along its border with Ethiopia in its latest effort to boost trade with the landlocked neighbour.

The Border Management Secretariat, a bilateral agency, said the OSBPs will enhance security, boost revenue collection and ease movement between the two countries.

“Putting two more OSBPs in Marsabit County will greatly boost trade facilitation and seal all the porous border points that encourage illicit trades,” said Mr Kennedy Nyaiyo, director of Border Management Secretariat.

He spoke in Marsabit County on Wednesday when he led a multi-agency delegation to the office of Deputy Governor Solomon Gubo, for a courtesy call. Mr Nyaiyo said the team was currently assessing suitability of Forole and Illeret, the two sites proposed to host OSBPs in Marsabit County.

Marsabit currently has only one OSBP in Moyale Town despite the fact that the Ethiopia-Kenyan border straddles over 830km of its territory.

Other areas marked for OSBPs include Siftu in Wajir, Markamari, Rhamu in Mandera, Todunyang in Turkana.

Mr Nyaiyo said the identified points will have heavy military and police presence to ensure observance of law and order in bandit-prone areas to safeguard livestock product markets.

He called on the county’s trade department to begin monitoring the trade volumes and statistically gauge the economic growth as soon as the projects are complete.

Marsabit County Commissioner Evans Achoki, said porosity of the borders has over the years led to tax evasions, upsurge in insecurity cases, contraband goods trade, insurgent attacks, influx of aliens as well as drug and human trafficking. The initiative is a multi-agency approach under the watch of organisations including the Border Management Secretariat, immigration department, the Kenya Revenue Authority, Port Health, Border Police Patrol Unit, Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), Kephis, among other entities that manage the borders

During his visit to Moyale in October 2019, Treasury Secretary Ukur Yatani outlined a number of initiatives that the State planned to execute to improve the Moyale OSBPs with the aim of boosting Kenya-Ethiopia trade and relations.

He called on residents of Upper Eastern region to take advantage of the Moyale One Stop Border Point during its commissioning, to ensure its proper utilisation.