Malaba to get port
Jun 25, 2010
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni on Thursday commissioned the construction of a dry inland port at Malaba on the Uganda-Kenya border. The port is expected to speed up importation of goods.
By Henry Mukasa and David Mugabe
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni on Thursday commissioned the construction of a dry inland port at Malaba on the Uganda-Kenya border. The port is expected to speed up importation of goods.
Museveni said the port would spur the economy of Tororo district, neighbouring areas and Uganda.
Works on the 250-acre piece of land will be undertaken by Great Lakes Ports Limited and is expected to cost $5b.
According to Muhammed Jaffel, the chairman of Great Lakes Ports, once the port becomes operational, goods that have been taking 15 days between Mombasa and Uganda will be able to arrive in four days.
This is because goods will come straight to Malaba without undergoing custom checks, he explained.
Countries like Rwanda and Congo that use Uganda as a transport route for their imports will also have their goods cleared at Malaba.
The proposed inland point is less than a kilometre from Malaba border post, which has cost URA about $14m (about sh27.7b) to turn it into a one-stop, 24-hour customs point.
In the earlier days of the bidding process for the inland port, controversy arose when URA pointed out that opening an inland port would cause additional costs for imports and create a monopoly that is a disadvantage to the country.
URA Commissioner General Allen Kagina argued that an inland port would make business more expensive.
The tax body added that Uganda did not have laws governing an inland port.
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni on Thursday commissioned the construction of a dry inland port at Malaba on the Uganda-Kenya border. The port is expected to speed up importation of goods.
Museveni said the port would spur the economy of Tororo district, neighbouring areas and Uganda.
Works on the 250-acre piece of land will be undertaken by Great Lakes Ports Limited and is expected to cost $5b.
According to Muhammed Jaffel, the chairman of Great Lakes Ports, once the port becomes operational, goods that have been taking 15 days between Mombasa and Uganda will be able to arrive in four days.
This is because goods will come straight to Malaba without undergoing custom checks, he explained.
Countries like Rwanda and Congo that use Uganda as a transport route for their imports will also have their goods cleared at Malaba.
The proposed inland point is less than a kilometre from Malaba border post, which has cost URA about $14m (about sh27.7b) to turn it into a one-stop, 24-hour customs point.
In the earlier days of the bidding process for the inland port, controversy arose when URA pointed out that opening an inland port would cause additional costs for imports and create a monopoly that is a disadvantage to the country.
URA Commissioner General Allen Kagina argued that an inland port would make business more expensive.
The tax body added that Uganda did not have laws governing an inland port.