Kenya and Uganda governments’ quick intervention on the elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers along the Northen Corridor of Busia and Malaba border towns has begun to bear fruits barely, a week when the orders were executed.

The major bottleneck was the never-ending traffic snarl-ups on the busy Malaba-Bungoma Highway, which sometimes stretches to over 15 kilometres.

On Friday, border residents walk up to realize no single truck on the busy highway, a clear indication that the resolutions reached in Mbale Uganda by trade ministers from Kenya and Uganda had been fulfilled to the latter.

Stakeholders from both Kenya and Uganda gave varied reasons that contribute to tariff and non-tariff barriers along the Northern Corridor, a feat that hinders trade between the two partner states.

The Stakeholders said traffic pileups along the Northern Corridor at the Malaba Border that realizes over 1,200 trucks crossing the border daily was attributed to the alleged tampering of scanners and overlapping on the Kenyan side of the border facilitated by some corrupt officers allegedly in collaboration with some Boda boda riders.

Stakeholders also attributed the perpetual traffic jams to power outages, which contributed to the slow clearance process of the cargo destined for the Great Lakes region.

Small parking yard at One Stop Border Post (OSBP) at the Malaba Border in Kenya was also cited as one of the impediments to trade.

Other challenges cited included disinterested personnel on the Ugandan side and human error and corruption on both sides of the border.

Stakeholders also cited love for sports mostly football, especially the English Premier League in Uganda, which brings goods clearance to a standstill for the duration of the match.

The clean highway minus long distance trucks which used to be a common phenomenon is kudos to Presidents Dr William Ruto of Kenya and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who issued the directive on the urgent need to eliminate tariff and Non-tariff barriers.