Ethiopia conflict: Moyale border post still operational, says KRA official
A sign post in Moyale.
The Moyale One Stop Border Post has not officially been closed, a senior Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) official said Thursday.
KRA deputy commissioner and northern region coordinator Nicholas Kinoti said the border post was operating normally, and discounted reports that it was closed following unrest in Ethiopia.
“Operations at the post are normal currently but as we speak, a high-powered government delegation is on the ground in Moyale, Sololo and Banisa assessing the security situation,” Mr Kinoti said in a phone interview.
“The government has taken a cautionary measure to address any eventuality that may happen in the event the situation gets out of hand in Ethiopia, in which case there would be an influx of people into (Kenya) through the border," Mr Kinoti said.
"This is with the view to guard against any issue that might compromise operations at the border.”
Moyale Deputy County Commissioner David Ole Kakimon also sought to allay the fears, assuring Kenyans that the border had been secured and all activities put under strict surveillance.
“There is no cause for alarm since we are monitoring all activities at the border,” Mr Kakimon said.
He made the remarks even as reports indicated rebels were advancing towards the capital, Addis Ababa.
The same sentiments were echoed by Moyale Assistant County Commissioner Collins Ngeno, who told residents on Wednesday at St Paul’s ACK Church Hall that the conflict in Ethiopia had not affected the Kenyan side of the border.
However, despite assurances from Kenyan authorities that security along the border had been beefed up, the business community on both sides are worried about the situation.
Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) Moyale chapter official Mohammed Ali said several businesses along the border had been paralysed by speculation that the border would be closed.
“Several business engagements have been affected, with export and import deals being cancelled,” Mr Ali said.
Speaking to the Nation by phone on Thursday, he said the economy was rapidly losing momentum amid the escalating conflict in Ethiopia as most businesspeople had begun to shun the region.
But he said cross-border small-scale traders continued with their transactions.
“Even as we speak, we have delegations from both Kenya and Ethiopia attending a cash-transfer sensitisation meeting convened by Igad [Inter-Governmental Authority of Development] across the border in a place known as Koketi,” Mr Ali said.
He added that it was unlikely the conflict would spill over to Kenya, saying Addis Ababa, which rebels are targeting, is more than 1,000km from the border.
