The Minister of East Africa Affairs, Rebecca Kadaga, has proposed that Uganda seeks alternative milk markets as Kenya and Uganda try to resolve the disputes between the two countries. 

Kadaga was speaking during the National Resistance Movement (NRM) manifesto week, 2023 at the Office of the Prime Minister hall on Monday, May 22.

"I worked with my colleague in Kenya and the milk ban was rescinded but on Saturday, I contacted the minister for the East African Community and together with the minister of agriculture who is in charge of the Kenya Diary Board, and I expect to get feedback from her this week," Kadaga said as they hope to resolve what has become a frequent problem with no solutions.

"I think the real solution is to get additional markets elsewhere. The West Africans import milk from Europe! I made a proposal to the Ministry of Works (Uganda) to start cargo flights to South Africa," Kadaga said as she described the African continent as a virgin area for Uganda to explore.

Kadaga had also previously suggested that Uganda export sugar to Tanzania only to be told that Tanzania was now working on a way to grow its own sugar.

She, however, added that the two governments should start focusing on the comparative advantage of each nation.

Kiswahili

On whether Uganda has a shortage of Kiswahili teachers, Kadaga said it's not true.

"We have 54,000 primary schools and we have 62,000 Kiswahili trained teachers which means it's one teacher per school, which would be difficult for one teacher to teach seven classes so there is a minimum we can start with. Ntungamo is already teaching and many of the border schools are also doing so," Kadaga noted.

According to Kadaga, the government is looking at Kiswahili being examinable and compulsory.

"We approved the National Swahili Council so that should be another way to support our programmes in training of Swahili," Kadaga said.

Common currency

With all East African countries still using their own separate currencies, Kadaga said achieving a common currency is still an ongoing process.

"The common currency will not come until we have agreed where the monetary institute is going to be because the monetary institute will work on the ways to establish a central bank and issue the common currency," Kadaga said as she elaborated on how traders have demanded the currency to ease trade across the borders to avoid losses when making exchanges.