Improved relations good for regional integration

President Uhuru Kenyatta and President John Magufuli (Photo: Courtesy)

Early this month, diplomatic relations between Kenya and Tanzania took a turn for worse when the two countries banned cross-border trading in some commodities that occasioned losses to traders on both sides. Tanzania banned the export of unprocessed food to Kenya as a protest against Kenya's ban on importation of cooking gas and wheat from Tanzania.

This, as this newspaper earlier observed, was going against the spirit of deeper economic integration and the creation of a solid regional trading block for the people of Eastern Africa. Gratifyingly, after high-level discussions between Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and John Pombe Magufuli of Tanzania, the Foreign Affairs ministers of Kenya and Tanzania met and later announced the resumption of cross-border trade in the banned commodities.

According to available statistics, Tanzania overcame Uganda in 2013 to become Kenya's largest East African trading partner. Tanzania's top export destinations are India at $1.12 billion worth of business and Kenya at $793 million. On the other hand, Tanzanian imports from Kenya stood at Sh3.2 billion in 2015.

These statistics go to show that trade benefits both sides and there is need for mutual respect and understanding to increase trade volumes as we move towards a stronger, more structured East African Economic Community. Situations that threaten to stand in the way of this progress should be dealt with diplomatically.