Ugandan High Commissioner to Kenya Phoebe Otara on Tuesday explained that Kenya was facilitating the trafficking of their teenage girls to foreign countries.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV, the ambassador stated that cartels lure naive girls with a promise of securing employment in Arab countries like Oman by taking them through Rwakaka, Buka, Malaba and Busia borders into Kenya.
"We have intelligence that these girls are kept somewhere in Limuru before they are transported to the JKIA for various destinations. Those who cannot make it (for various reasons), or who could not secure visas, are dumped at the airport and later arrested and kept in cells," she elucidated.
[caption caption="President Uhuru with Ugandan High Commissioner to Kenya Phoebe Otara"]
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She added that the girls were aged between 15 and 19 years old faulting Kenyan authorities of issuing high penalties to their government to secure the release of the arrested girls.
"We are worried about this trend and the heavy penalties imposed on these girls. The two countries need to look for better ways to seal the porous borders so we can redeem the dignity of these young girls," she conveyed.
Otara addressed the issue of the cross-border trade between the two countries highlighting that Kenyan authorities were actively restricting Ugandans from trading within Kenya's borders.
"The EAC policy champions for free movement of goods and people. We know we have had small hiccups on the borders but Kenyan authorities go to the extent of harassing and arresting traders from Uganda," the High Commissioner stated.
On the other hand, she commended the efforts of Kenya's Foreign Affairs CS Monica Juma to ensuring relationships among countries in the region.
She further applauded Tourism CS Najib Balala and Trade's Adan Mohamed for facilitating cooperation between the two countries.
[caption caption="President Uhuru and his cabinet"]
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