Each time Ms Teopista Kizza crosses River Sio by boat on her way to Kenya, she pays between Shs2,000 and Shs10,000, adding to the burden faced by residents who rely on the waterway to cross the Uganda-Kenya border.
Ms Kizza, a resident of Bunyide Village in Buhehe Sub-county, told Monitor on Tuesday that boat fares across River Sio vary with the seasons, rising to Shs10,000 during the rainy season when flooding affects both sides of the river.
During the dry season, the water level falls, shortening the crossing distance and reducing the fare to about Shs2,000.
‘We pay less for transport during the dry season than in the rainy season because the water level is usually lower,’ Ms Kizza said.
Ms Kizza, who was found crossing to Mulwada, said she sometimes travels to Kenya twice a day, spending between Shs8,000 and Shs40,000 on canoe transport for return trips.
Mr Juma Syabi, a canoe operator on River Sio, said he charges Shs2,000 per trip for passengers and goods transported across the river.
He said he started operating the canoe because there is no bridge across River Sio connecting the two countries, creating a livelihood opportunity for operators while leaving residents dependent on boats.
‘We have Samia communities on both sides of the border, so people often come to me for transport,’ Mr Syabi said.
For residents such as Mr Sande Mulefu of Mauko Village, however, the crossing is more than an inconvenience.
Mr Mulefu said transporting merchandise across River Sio or taking a sick person to Nangina in Kenya can be difficult because of the absence of a bridge.
He said boats have on several occasions capsized after being swept away by strong currents, while crocodiles have also posed a danger to people using the waterway.
‘We have lost many people in this area to crocodile attacks on canoes, and we believe a bridge should be built across the river,’ Mr Mulefu said.
New border crossing
The residents are among those expected to benefit from plans by Uganda and Kenya to establish a new border entry point at Mulwada in Busia District.
The planned crossing will include a bridge over River Sio linking communities in the two countries, alongside customs facilities.
The entry point is expected to connect Mulwada and Lumino in Busia, Uganda, with Sigalame in Busia County, Kenya.
The process of establishing the new entry point has started with the reaffirmation of the Uganda-Kenya boundary along a 50-kilometre stretch by officials from the two countries’ departments of surveys and mapping.
Mr Ibrahim Magemeso, the acting commissioner in the Department of Surveys and Mapping in Kampala, said on Tuesday that the border reaffirmation exercise is the first step before construction of the bridge and customs facilities.
‘We have started reaffirming the boundaries, and the next step will be to construct a bridge and establish customs facilities,’ Mr Magemeso said.
Eng Ireneous Barasa Nahadu, a resident of Majanji, said reaffirming the border was important before the two countries establish the new customs facility.
‘I think reaffirming the boundary between Kenya and Uganda is a step in the right direction towards realising our dream of operationalising the Mulwada entry border post,’ Eng Barasa said.
He said the project had been anticipated for years, noting that former Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki laid a foundation stone at Mulwada on the Kenyan side in 2007.
Historic trade link
Eng Barasa said the Mulwada crossing had historically served as an important link between the Samia communities on both sides of the border.
He said a footbridge constructed by Kenyan authorities in the early 1930s enabled Ugandan farmers to transport cotton to markets in Sigalame and Nangina in Kenya.
According to Eng Barasa, Asian traders established cotton stores and ginneries on the Kenyan side during the 1930s, attracting Samia farmers from Uganda who crossed the border to sell their cotton.
He said the communities also traded cattle and cattle products, while their Kenyan counterparts engaged in iron smelting using iron ore from the hills around Funyula and Nangina. They produced hoes, knives and pangas, which were sold to Ugandan traders.
Eng Barasa said the crossing was not only important for trade but also strengthened family and cultural ties between communities on either side of the border.
He said increased interaction led to marriages between Kenyan and Ugandan Samia families.
‘The Kenyan Samia at the time referred to Samia in Uganda as ‘Amadoola Ngombe,’ meaning an area where cattle could easily be obtained, because Ugandans paid up to 12 head of cattle as bride price for Kenyan women,’ Eng Barasa said.
He said the footbridge was destroyed in 1975 following remarks by then Ugandan president Idi Amin that he intended to claim Ugandan territory up to Lake Naivasha in Kenya.
‘Angered by Amin’s reckless statement, the Kenyans, led by Julie, demolished and burnt the bridge,’ Eng Barasa said.
He said the destruction disrupted cross-border trade in agricultural produce and iron tools while weakening social and cultural ties between the Samia communities.
Trade opportunities
John Charles Namayindi, the Busia District LC5 chairman, said the proposed border crossing would create new economic opportunities for residents.
‘We are going to see trade boom again across the border. We produce a lot of agricultural products, including maize, cassava and beans, so we shall exploit the ready market in Kenya,’ Mr Namayindi said.
Justice James Ogola, a retired Principal Judge and resident of Lumino, said the opening of the Mulwada border had been long-awaited.
He said the crossing would strengthen trade among the Samia communities, which were divided by the creation of the Uganda-Kenya border in 1926.
‘As Samia in Kenya and Uganda, we are one people. We trace the same origin, share similar cultural ties and have a common destiny,’ Justice Ogola said while addressing residents of Bunyide and Mauko in Buhehe.
He said the Kenyan side of Samia has deposits of iron ore, while the Ugandan side has gold deposits and significant agricultural potential, creating opportunities for increased cross-border trade.
Justice Ogola also said the Mulwada crossing would reduce the cost of doing business by shortening the journey to Kampala by about 34 kilometres compared with routes through the Busia and Malaba border posts.
He said the new border point could also help decongest Busia and Malaba, which are major crossings along the Northern Corridor and handle high volumes of traffic.
Justice Ogola said the crossing could provide an alternative trade route in the event of disruptions along existing routes.
He cited the 1998 El Niño rains, which left parts of Iganga submerged and disrupted the movement of fuel, contributing to shortages.
‘All these roads from Busia and Malaba, including the railway, converge in Iganga town. So any disruption affects the country’s supplies. That is why we believe the Mulwada route through Lumino, Namayingo, Mayuge and Musita offers an alternative route,’ Justice Ogola said.