News: Tanzania port’s offer to Uganda sent threats to Kenya

Biashara hiyo. Mteja ameshaonesha nia. Kazi nje nje. Sijui tunatakaje tena...

So when officials of Mombasa Port’s main regional rival, the Tanzanian Ports Authority (TPA) visited Uganda mid July on a mission to divert transit goods from Mombasa to Daresalaam, KPA officials took notice.

The Tanzanian’s have undertaken to improve both their rail network and road infrastructure and the recent announcement by the Chinese to fund them to develop further their transport infrastructure is likely to worry the more the Kenyans. Tanzania has several advantages over the Kenyans including a stable political atmosphere, low costs of cargo handling and less non tariff barriers.

Gagawala Nelson Wambuzi the Uganda state minister for trade told The Independent, “We are developing the central route because it’s the original trading route way back to the time of the explorers. The northern corridor to the port of Mombasa was built to develop the port of Mombasa. Rail transport and construction through Tanzania is cheaper because there is no rift valley. Its plain land and trains can attain faster speeds than through the northern corridor to Mombasa .We already have the Germans, Americans, Japanese, Chinese and Indians all expressing interest in developing the central corridor. The whole development will be done under the private public partnerships (PPP).


“It takes a month for goods to arrive from Mombasa because of its congestion and here we are looking at the ports of Tanga and Dar es Salaam which are not congested and have a low capacity thereby making them efficient. Today we are not importing goods but efficiency and time. We have to arrive in the markets early, clear and clean. That is what modern business is all about,” he said.

Read the uncut story as written in The Independent of Uganda