An analysis by TradeMark East Africa of the depth of media coverage of the progress made towards regional integration shows January 2012 as having been a good month indeed.
The report says "There is a general increase in the reporting of the EAC and economic integration especially in the Kenyan media which publishes at least an article daily across the four major dailies...and calls for the removal of barriers to trade are also on the rise as more traders realise the benefits of cross-border trade." Enough said.
Topics most explored are the planned export of skills from countries that have them in abundance to neighbours in need. Another are the "One-stop border posts" beginning with Namanga, then Lunga Lunga, Malaba, Taveta, Isebania and Busia slated for the future.
The benefits of inter- and intra-regional linkages cannot be overemphasised. In fact, Uganda President Yoweri Museveni expressed the need, nay, the urgency considering the prevailing David versus Goliath scenario as only 30 times the entire landmass of Kenya and Uganda would roughly equal China. As it is the East African market is puny compared to the US, European Union or Asian ones.
But how well are East African countries going about this common initiative? It has taken an exposé in The Standard and a few death threats to our writer for the President to order a ministerial committee to probe the rot at the Malaba border point.
After all it is the President who is shamed when his counterparts keep pointing at the rot and expense of using the Kenyan road and rail corridor!
Suspect operations
The proposed Lamu port has taken so long to take off it had started to look like a pipe dream. Kenya probably has to thank the Khartoum-Juba spat for shaking it back to reality.
The Namanga border is the scene of frequent standoff over tarrifs and other fees. As we speak, there is one such disagreement that has paralysed trade there.
Coupled with an inefficient Kenya Ports Authority, suspect operations at weighbridges and a war on the expansive Kenya Somalia border have not helped matters one way or the other. With these in mind, is it true to say Kenya is open for business?
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