Transport

Truckers resume normal regional operations after elections hitch

Trucks.

Drop in Mombasa Port cargo is a wake-up call. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Truckers have resumed normal operations after the flow of goods between Kenya and the neighbouring countries was interrupted this week with the announcement of presidential results on Monday.

The chaos and uncertainty that had been witnessed in some pockets of the country saw truckers withdraw from the roads, paralysing trade along the Northern Corridor.

Chief executive officer of the Kenya Transporters Association (KTA) Mercy Ireri said they are now fully operational and that the flow of goods to either side of the border is back to normal.

“We have been at near zero in regard to road transport from the Port of Mombasa to the border towns of Malaba and Busia in the last couple of days, but now the situation has come back to normal,” said Ms Ireri.

She said the government has assured them of security along the busy highways, assuring transporters of their safety.

Kenya’s election situation forced Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi to divert their trucks from the Kisumu route to alternative longer ones.

Cargo trucks destined for Kenya via the Busia border were being diverted through Mumias road in Kakamega County to Bungoma and Eldoret on their way to Mombasa.

Angry residents in Nyanza and parts of the Nairobi neighbourhood of Kibera lit bonfires and used boulders to barricade roads after the Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission announced William Ruto as the president-elect after receiving the most votes in the general election.

In the run-up to the August 9 polls, Uganda shipped fuel for its reserves, which the Ministry of Energy in Kampala said would be enough to last for 10 days.

Sector players in Uganda had warned that any persistent disruptions along the import route might see Uganda, which has already suffered sky-rocketing commodity prices, hit with fuel shortages in the coming days.

Northern Corridor, which starts at the Port of Mombasa is a key trade route with a length of 1,700 kilometres and serves Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Eastern DRC.

The Central Corridor, which is an alternative to the northern route, is 1,300 km long and begins at the port of Dar es Salaam and serves Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Eastern DRC.

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