President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Tanzanian counter part Pombe Magufuli have never been close.Both presidents have always had different and strong opinions that have made their compatibility hail difficult.
But just as the handshake happened nothing else is impossible. From the look of things the two have buried the hatchet now speaking the same language.
They have launched the Namanga border crossing amid unresolved long-standing trade disputes between the two countries. But from the look of things everything has changed between the nations.
The Namanga One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) is one of a dozen others, which have either been launched or are being commissioned to ease trade flow within the six-nation East African Community (EAC) bloc.
The consolidation of border control functions in shared spaces between the two countries is meant to ease the turn-around time for clearance of goods by traders.
The Namanga post, whose construction works started in 2014, has been open since October last year. Reports indicated earlier in the year official launch was put on hold due to the delayed installation of electronic equipment.
“The launch of Namanga OSBP paves the way for speedy clearance of goods moving in the main trade corridor between Kenya and Tanzania,” the Kenya Revenue Authority said in a note inviting guests.
“The Namanga OSBP is part of the EAC regional initiative, implemented jointly with Kenya and Tanzania, supported by development partners through the Japan International Cooperation Agency and AfDB (African Development Bank).”
https://twitter.com/UKenyatta/status/1068827281789997057
Mr Kenyatta and Mr Magufuli are likely to revisit undying trade spats between the bureaucrats in both countries since they directed the differences to be ironed at a meeting in Uganda in February 2018.
https://twitter.com/UKenyatta/status/1068827987225833473
Apart from Namanga, other border points between Kenya and Tanzania are Holili, Horohoro and Sirali.
It seems the rivalry between the two countries delayed a lot of good things for both countries but they have a shot to make up for what have been missing for that long.
Do you think this new tie between Tanzania and Kenya will help develop both countries ?