Daily Monitor
Wednesday May 12 2021
Men load maize onto a truck at Busia market on Monday after Kenya lifted a ban on the importation of the cereal crop from Uganda. PHOTO/DAVID AWORI
Summary
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There is a sigh of relief among traders after Kenya lifted the ban on importation of maize.
More than 100 trucks carrying about 1,200 tonnes of maize from Busia, Uganda, spontaneously crossed into Kenya on Monday.
The lift marks the resumption of the multibillion trade between Uganda and Kenya, a major trading partner on the East African bloc.
The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) of Kenya on March 5 banned the importation of maize from Uganda and Tanzania over safety standards, saying the cereal had aflatoxins and posed a health risk to consumers.
Traders smuggle tonnes of Uganda maize into Kenya
Thursday April 22 2021
Men use bicycles to smuggle maize through Sofia porous border point into Kenya last week. PHOTO | DAVID AWORI
Summary
Issue. “We are overstretched by the nature of our porous border and lack of the necessary manpower to make a wall along our border with Uganda. However, we continue to do all we can to ensure maize is not smuggled here,” John Nyoike, Busia-Kenya County Police Commander.
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Following Kenya’s lifting of the ban on importation of maize from Uganda, the cereal, listed as the most traded in the region, according to the East African Community (EAC) trade protocols, has turned into an illicit commodity.