Uganda tightens security at Busia-Malaba border

By Daniel Edyegu

Security at the Malaba and Busia posts on the Uganda/Kenya border has been tightened following the May 28 Nairobi bomb blasts that injured over 30 people.

The Nairobi incident, the second in less than a month after the coastal bomb blast in Mombasa, Kenya, which killed one person and injured 26, has kept the Ugandan security agencies on their toes with the threat of a possible Al-Shabaab terrorist targeting Uganda, too.

Robert Katuramu, the Tororo district Police commander on Tuesday (May 29, 2012) said a combined force of security agencies were on alert at the border to ensure the terrorists outfit does not cause similar attacks in Uganda.

"Our anti-terrorist squad is on alert along the main eastern main borders at Malaba and Busia. We are not taking any chances. We are subjecting, pedestrians and passengers for thorough checking. Because there are porous border points along this area where suspicious persons can easily sneak in, we have stationed security checks at various points along the routes from the border points to curtail any planned attacks," Katuramu said.

The Kenya blast came in the wake of the Uganda police warning to the public to stay vigilant against any suspicious bomb objects and persons. With pilgrims streaming in to the country to make the Martyr's day on June 3 at Namugongo, police said terrorists could take advantage of the huge gathering to launch attacks.

At Malaba border point, police searched various cargo trucks entering the country before they proceeded to the customs yard for assessment.

 A regular check point for Special Revenue Protection Services (SRPS) was mounted about a kilometer from the Uganda customs yard and another check point of traffic police officers, about 1.5km along the Malaba-Tororo highway.

However, the formal checks were slow and created a pile up of traffic on either side of the Uganda-Kenya border with trucks queues of trucks stretching over a kilometer away.