The Kenyan government has decided to lift the ban on poultry products from Uganda. Previously, Kenya had also banned milk, beef and maize from Uganda following a years-long tit-for-tat between the countries.
Earlier this week, however, the Kenyan cabinet engaged in talks in Nairobi, where the decision was made by Ugandan agriculture minister Frank Tumwebaze and Peter Munya, the Kenyan cabinet secretary. The poultry ban had been in place since February this year, and was reportedly made to protect Kenyan farmers from disruptions caused by Covid-19.
“The ministers noted that there have been disruptions in trade in poultry and poultry products between the two countries. Both parties agreed to immediately remove any administrative measures that have hitherto inhibited trade in poultry and poultry products,” a statement sent to newsrooms read, according to AllAfrica.com.
The road ahead
Kenya prohibited Ugandan milk imports, primarily the Lato brand, in December 2019, causing the latest East African Community (EAC) partner country disagreement. Despite a prior agreement to extend Uganda’s sugar imports to Kenya, Kenya announced a ban on Ugandan sugar in July 2020.
Both Uganda and Kenya have now also decided to make efforts to remove the restrictive levies that violate the EAC Customs Union Protocol, and vowed to do so by July 2022.
Previously, Kenya had accused Uganda of creating falsified production credentials, saying it had repackaged milk that had been imported and stating it is “locally produced” when selling it to Kenya. According to the Customs Union Protocol, a product can only be considered local when more than two thirds of the main ingredients are from the country it is being produced in.
Therefore Kenya will have a team investigate and verify whether Uganda’s milk production process meet the Custom Union Protocol requirements in January 2022.
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