Tanzania blocks 20 kenyan companies escalating crisis

Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohamed with her Tanzanian counterpart Augustine Mahiga after holding talks in Nairobi last week where a deal lifting restrictions was brokered. [File, Standard]

Brookside Dairy is among the nearly 20 Kenyan companies that have been blocked from accessing the Tanzanian market despite last week’s deal lifting trade restrictions between the two countries.

Matters are complicated by the requirement for Kenyan professionals to pay Sh5,000 for business visas – even for a one-day working visit - defying a regional agreement allowing a free pass of up to six months on the job.