Ugandan traders count losses over Kenya protests

Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) says it has lost around $15 to 20 million worth of imported goods per day of protests across Kenya. 

Another $5 to 8 million worth of export goods have also been lost each day, according to the Director of Policy at Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA), Mr Allan Ssenyondwa.

Mr Ssenyondwa attributed the losses to failure of the trucks carrying goods from Kenya to cross into Uganda as the former was protesting Finance Bill.

“It affected both the imports and the exports because Kenya is our major port and all the roads pass through Nairobi. So, for purposes of security, some manufacturers will request their truck drivers or the logistic companies to wait until the situation settles down, meaning the time taken to export and to import is longer,” he said.

Annually, UMA imports goods worth $10 billion. UMA exports are two-thirds of the imports and are major to Kenya’s markets.  

According to Mr Ssenyondwa, manufacturers load goods on several trucks between 300 and 500 daily to cross to Kenya and when the deadly protests broke out, only a few crossed.

The main products that Uganda exported to Kenya were milk ($44.6m), concentrated milk ($39.9m), and electricity ($30.8m).

Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA-Uganda), an umbrella organisation for traders, appealed to all traders plying Kenya routes to temporarily put on halt the transportation of their merchandise until the situation in Kenya stabilises.

The KACITA-Uganda chairperson, Mr Thaddeus Musoke, said this would reduce the risks of damaging their consignments.

“Currently, as the business community; we are concerned with what is happening in Kenya, and as KACITA, we have issued a very strong document cautioning our traders to stop their operations for the meantime as we follow up the events,” Mr Musoke said.

“Secondly, our traders who have cargo in transit should put it on hold for some time until the situation harmonises,” he added.

The chairperson of Regional Lorry Drivers and Transporters Association, Mr Bylon Kinene, also advised truck drivers to halt their operations.

By press time, the Uganda Revenue Authority, Assistant Commissioner of Public and Corporate Affairs, Mr Ibrahim Bossa, had not responded to our repeated phone calls for a comment on how the Kenya protests have affected revenue collection in Uganda.

According to KACITA, Uganda’s Cargo has been attacked and looted whenever there are such protests.

During the May 2023 protests in Kenya that were allegedly masterminded by Kenya Opposition leader Raila Odinga, Uganda traders dealing in cereals, lost goods worth Shs1.6 billion.

Also, in the 2018 Kenya riots, Mr Musoke claimed many Ugandan consignments were looted and others destroyed with no compensation for those affected.