MUSEVENI THREATENS TO SLAP BAN ON IMPORTS FROM KENYA

Workers sort chicken at the Hudani Manji Chicken plant in Semuto, Nakaseke District yesterday. President Museveni said it is wrong for Kenya authorities to block Uganda’s chicken from entering the county. PHOTO|NMG 

By The Citizen Correspondent

Nakaseke. President Museveni has threatened to block Kenya products from accessing the Ugandan market saying officials in the neighbouring Kenya Revenue Authority who are blocking sugar and chicken imports from Uganda are “myopic” and are contravening the East African Community protocol.

“We buy a lot of goods from Kenya. Some of those Kenya officials are ‘narrow’ minded. They wanted to block our sugar. Now they have gone for our chicken. If I say no more Kenya products to Uganda, they will be forced to buy,” he said.

Speaking at the launch of Hudani Manji Ltd chicken farm plant in Semuto Nakaseke district, about 50 kilometres from Kampala, President Museveni promised local manufacturers to petition Kenya government.

“I shall sort it out with President Uhuru Kenyatta,” Museveni said.

Officials from the Kenyan Revenue Authority said last evening, that they would comprehensively respond to Mr Museveni’s comments today.

President Museveni reacted after Hudani Manji Ltd, chairman Alykan Hudani complained of Kenya Revenue Authorities blocking his firm from exporting chicken to Kenya.

“Most of our chicks are imported from Kenya, they feed on Uganda made feed but they do not allow us export to Kenya. We have invested a lot of money and there is also some potential market in South Sudan. I [have previously] urged government to negotiate on our behalf to access these markets,” Hudani said.

Uganda was until February this year Kenya’s largest export market.

However, by July 2014 Tanzania had edged past Uganda as Kenya’s largest export market in East Africa due to the ongoing elimination of non-tariff barriers and increasing local production in Uganda of goods that were previously imported.

Uganda has traditionally been Kenya’s top trading partner in the region, but recent data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) ranked the country third, with Tanzania coming second. (NMG)