Uganda internet shutdown hurts cross-border trade, transport
Traders sell bananas and pineapples at the Busia border on January 24, 2020.
Uganda’s internet shutdown has caused a huge traffic snarl up of heavy commercial vehicles at the Busia border point.
In an unprecedented move, the country shut down the internet hours to the January 14 polls, a move that has been widely criticised by both local and international players.
The traffic stretched over 3km on the Kenyan side, with hundreds of vehicles parked at Bumala and Sega townships on the busy Busia highway by Saturday.
The move has also affected vehicles entering Kenya from Uganda as customs officials suspended their clearance.
"We have been here for two days. We don't know how we will be here," said David Omoth, who was transporting fuel to Congo.
"I usually spend up to three days on transit. I am not sure how long it will take for us to be cleared and deliver our products to the other side," Mr Omoth said.
He noted that they are incurring extra costs for their daily upkeep, which they did not anticipate.
Some of the truck drivers said they were afraid to get into Uganda due to the possibility of post-election violence over contested results for the presidential race.
Price increases
Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni has won a sixth term, which has extended his stay in office to 40 years, but his primary challenger, Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has alleged fraud.
Mr John Wafula, a truck driver who camped at Bumala, said, "I was cleared on Thursday when Ugandans were going to the ballot but I was worried about the situation on the other side.”
Cereal, egg and fruit vendors at the border point also raised concerns that the supply from Uganda has been dwindling as the prices rise.
"The prices of maize, beans, bananas, pineapples, mangos and watermelon have shot up and slowed business," he said.
Ms Julia Ssenyonyi from Uganda, who sells bananas, yams and sweet potatoes, said her stock has declined. She was hopeful, however, that the announcement of the election results would mean a return to normalcy.
"It's my prayer that Ugandans will not resort to violence but embrace peace,” she said.
