Truck drivers operating along the Kenya-Uganda border in Busia County have urged the government to address the inefficiencies affecting cargo clearance at the Malaba One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) with urgency.
According to the drivers, delays, poor infrastructure, and technical hitches have continued to slow down the movement of goods and increase operating costs along the border, thereby hurting trade and movement between the two countries.
These calls emerged after the Senate Committee on Trade, Industrialization and Tourism, led by Chairperson Senator Issa Boy Juma, toured the Malaba OSBP on Tuesday during the ongoing Senate Mashinani sessions in the western county.
Truck drivers decried the situation, blaming inefficient scanning procedures by the taxman that sometimes take up to 48 hours.
Additionally, they also cited frequent system breakdowns, power blackouts, and scanner failures on the Ugandan side, especially during rainy seasons.
The drivers further raised concerns over the high cost of tax seals and poor coordination between the two countries’ customs agencies.
They claimed that multiple checkpoints and unnecessary documentation processes, especially on the Ugandan side, have worsened turnaround times and increased the cost of doing business.
Senator Issa Boy’s committee also noted that the outbound road at Malaba remains incomplete, forcing both incoming and outgoing trucks to share a single lane.
The senators called for an expansion of the OSBP, improvement of power supply, and recruitment of more customs and security personnel to ease congestion. They also urged the redesign of entry and exit lanes to allow seamless truck movement and reduce delays.
''The government must urgently expand and modernise this facility to match its growing demand. Malaba is the heartbeat of East African trade and must operate efficiently,” said Senator Issa.
Meanwhile, during the visit, the committee acknowledged the persistent challenges that have hindered trade efficiency at the border, despite its critical role in regional commerce.
According to the committee, the Malaba OSBP operates on only 4.225 hectares of land, which is inadequate to handle its growing traffic.
The facility processes an estimated 1,000 travellers daily, with traffic increasing by 5 per cent each year. However, the customs yard can only accommodate 100 trucks at a time, leading to severe congestion and prolonged waiting times that have threatened to cripple trade along the border.
