NAKASEKE- Ugandan President Museveni has threatened to block Kenyan products from accessing Ugandan market, saying the country’s [Kenya] move to block sugar and chicken exports from Uganda is not only “myopic” but contravenes the East Africa Community Protocol.
“We buy a lot of goods from Kenya. Some of those [Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)] officials are ‘narrow’ minded. They wanted to block our sugar. Now they have gone for our chicken. If I say no more, Kenya will feel it and open up its market for our goods,” he said.
Museveni was speaking at the launch of the Hudani Manji Chicken plant in Semuto, Nakaseke District, he said he would petition the Kenya government to resolve the matter.
“I shall sort it out with President Uhuru Kenyatta,” he said.
Officials from the KRA said last evening they would comprehensively respond to Mr Museveni’s comments today.
The President’s reaction followed a complaint from Mr Alykan Hudani, the Hudani Manji chairman, saying KRA was blocking his firm from exporting chicken to Kenya.
“We import our chicks from Kenya but when it comes to exporting our dressed chicken they [KRA] block us,” he said.
Uganda has traditionally been Kenya’s largest trading partner in the region, but recent data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) ranked the country third, with Tanzania coming second.
However, Uganda was overtaken by the US in June as the leading export destination for Kenyan goods.
The report showed US exported goods worth $41.8m to Kenya followed by Tanzania at $31.6m and Uganda at $28.3m.
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