President Ruto of Kenya is set to unban Ugandan poultry and milk goods into its market by removing the limitations set last year to safeguard local producers.
The President offered the strongest suggestion last week during a gathering at the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) that he will end the protectionism practiced by his predecessor’s administration and open the Kenyan market to Ugandan goods.
“Uganda should bring cheaper milk here because they can produce it more cheaply. We should (also endeavour) to add value to our milk,” he said.
The goal, according to the Kenyan leader, is to ensure Nairobi benefits from the provisions of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which it can utilise rather than fighting, by allowing goods from neighbors in exchange for their opening up.
“We should be adding value (to our milk), producing butter, powder for sale in the DRC, Central Africa and West Africa and we import cheaper milk from Uganda for our consumption,” said Ruto.
“Why should we quarrel with Uganda? It is because we have refused to take our rightful place in our continent. We should have taken action earlier but allowed Uganda to occupy this space. We must (therefore) have a different conversation.”
Kenya will instead charge the Kenya Development Corporation with assisting producers raise the value of their goods and take advantage of the AfCFTA’s wider market.
“We now have the market infrastructure for us to take over the market in our continent. The reason our continent imports milk, powder and food is because Kenya has not taken its rightful place.”
However, the immediate challenge of easing the embargo will depend on the associated bureaucracy. Presidential statements do not become official policy, as is customary, until the local technocrats change the way things are done, in writing.
“The ban on Ugandan milk was not imposed by us (Trade) but by another ministry (Agriculture). Only they can lift the ban,” said Johnson Weru, Kenya’s Trade Principal Secretary.
“There is a specific process under the Trade Remedies Act of 2017. We have not prescribed any action under the Act and will have to sit down with Uganda under a bilateral arrangement.”
The PS hinted that trade, Agriculture and EAC Cabinet ministers will hit the road to ensure the trade bans of Ugandan milk are lifted by the end of 2022.