d/ TELEPHONES: 04L434OLO0l4340LL2 Minister of State for East E.MAIL: [email protected] African Community Affairs TELEFAX: o4t4-348r7t 1't Floor, Postal Building Yusuf Lule Road ln any correspondence on this subject P.O. Box 7343, Kampala please quote No: ADM 542/583/01 UGANDA rHE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA 22"4 August,2Ol9 FTHES P ( L \-, 4 Hon. Oumo George Abott U Choirperson, Committee for 2019 * 2 3 AUG s Eost Africon Community Affoirs Porlioment of Ugondo EOEIYE L t4 raE \, \, KAMPATA NT OF CLOSURE OF UGANDA.RWANDA BORDERS Reference is mode to letter AB: I 171287 /01 doted l5rn August,20l9 oddressed to the Minister of Eost Africon Community Affoirs ond copied to the Permonent Secretory, Ministry of Eost Africon Community Affoirs regording the obove subject motter. ln the letter, you invited the Ministry to updote the EAC Committee on the progress mode to hondle the Closure of Ugondo-Rwondo Borders on Ihursdoy,29r,August, 2019 at 10.00om. As stoted this discussion would help ensure thot the Eost Africon Common Morket Protocol is effectively implemented for the benefit of Ugondo ond other Portner Stofes. The Purpose of this letter therefore, is to forword to you o Report on the Stotus of the obove issue for further guidonce during our interoction with the committee ond to re-offirm our ottendonce os per the stipuloted dote ond time Mogondo Julius Wondero MINISTER OF STATE FOR EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY AFFAIRS C.C. The Speoker, Porlioment of Ugondo, Kompolo The Clerk to Porlioment, Porlioment of Ugondo, Kompolo Permonent Secretory, Ministry of Eost Africon Community Affoirs MINISTRY OF EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY AFFAIRS REPORT ON THE CLOSURE OF UGANDA. RWANDA BORDER TO THE COMMITTEE OF PARLIAMENT ON EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY AFFAIRS 1 1.0 Introduction Following the closure of Cyanika, Katuna and Mirama Hills Border Posts on the 27'h Feb 2019 by the Republic of Rwanda, as part of their mandate, the Ministry of East African Community 411ur.s (MEACA) has undertaken a number of steps as indicated below. 1.1 Mission to assess the situation at Uganda-Rwanda One Stop Border Posts (OSBPS), lsr-2nd March, 2019. The Ministry sent officers on ground to assess the situation. The officers wrote a report. This report was presented in a meeting of all responsible MDAs that was convened by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been the Official Government Ministry handling this matter. 1.2 Mission to assess the post-closure situation at Uganda-Rwanda Borders, 9'h- 10'h August, 2019. The Ministry undertook an assessment of the post-closure situation at the borders. It emerged that; i. There is still free rnovement of persons (Ugandan Nationals and other Nationalities) to and from Rwanda save for the Rwandan citizens who are only allowed entry and no ex;.t from Rwanda. ii. The only Rwandan nationals allowed exit from Rwanda from the borders above are the drivers on transit to Kenya and not to Uganda. iii. It was also noted that the Ugandans who cross to Rwanda only go there mostly to attend Parties or Funerals, and not business as the environment for Ugandan goodsTproducts is hostiie. iv. \{hereas Ugandan nationals are allowed to enter Rwanda, it is unfortunate that Ugandan goods/products arc not allowed entry. These are rejected \ rith no reasons given, no rejection notes/documents are provided. Many drivers have suffered the disappointment of being told to turn back to Uganda. 2. V It has also been observed that smuggling is on the increase on both sides. This has seen many citizens especially of Rwanda being shot dead by their own police. VI. A number of schools around the borders have been rendered redundant as result of the closure. It was observed that a big number of students were crossing on a daily basis to receive education in Uganda and this has completely stopped thus not only affecting the population in schools but also the logisticai arrangements of many schools. \,11. Following the closure, cooperation among the agencies has broken dor,rm. Joint border meetings are no longer held, there is completely no communication between the agencies. This situation has fuelled mistrust among the border comrlunities. vlu. The security agencies observed that the rate of crime has increased as a result of no business as many youth have resorted to theft and murder. A number of such cases have been reported. The parents now have a burden of taking care of youth lvho would otherwise be working for themselves. 3.0 Uganda's Trade with the EAC 3.1 Imports The table below shows Ugancla's imports by value from the EAC for the period JuIy 2018 to June 20i9. Country FY2017 /L8 (Value-ugx) FY2018/l9(Value- %age ugx) Growth Burundi B, 4 B 6 2 76 2 4 B 21,083,957,936 148.45% a I 609 919 06 8sI 2 s03 83s 918 637 5 5.53% Rwanda 160 '293 270 36 r 23.338.816.439 -23.0s% South Sudan ,t -t 1 B I 74 638 177 533 -t.2r% Tanzania _av, I _r9 3|t 5 36-+ 36 786 t82 29 262.0L% Sub-Total ) 6s6 286 088 4 299 683 053 374 9L.4% ')t Rest of the lVorld I 8,2Iii,989,[i -:7,5 .) L 23 467 084 793 900 28.2t96 TotaI 2o 544 645 9-+3 6i9 27 76C 767 847 274 35.L2% Source: LIRA Data Emerging from the table alrovt; . Goods from llurundi, I(uni,'e, iuicl Tanzania had a positive growth 3 . Goods from Rwanda and South Sudan had a negative growth . Imports from the region amounted to L033% of Llganda's total imports in FY2017 /LB . Imports from the region amounted to 15.48% of Uganda's total imports in FY2017 /LB, signitying an increase in Intra-EAC imports (Trade) 2.0 Traffic Flow hetween Uganda and Rrn anda 2.1 Mirama Hills OSPB, FY20f 8/19 INFLOW OUTFLOW Month Trucks Small Buses Total Trucks Small Buses Total Cars Cars Iul-18 656 215 106 997 651 2T4 106 971 Aus-18 473 313 L',23 909 598 255 t24 977 Sep-18 40r L92 113 706 434 151 116 701 Oct-18 357 191 ()5 643 391 t4l 116 648 Nov-18 326 '222 91 639 409 168 L20 697 Dec-18 2IB 363 99 680 325 303 L26 754 Ian-19 270 '231 95 596 304 L54 ).20 578 Feb-19 279 210 | 90 579 342 L54 119 615 Mar-19 i ,981 r03 70 2,L54 1,788 55 74 1,917 Apr-19 ],BB6 77 :7 1,990 1 637 5B 28 1,723 May-19 1,981 92 r6 2,099 2,030 68 30 2,128 Iune19 L,734 108 14 i 1,856 1,5 69 74 T2 1,643 Total 10,562 317 9,'19 13,82t 1o,478 L,795 I,091 13,352 Source: URA Data Emerging from the table; Number of trucks using Mirama Iiills have more than tripled on both inflow and outflow, due to the rlosurt ol' I(atuna and re-directing of all cargo trucks to this OSPB since irlarch, 20 r{r a Number of buses and srnirll cars have reduced to very low numbers since Marclr, 2019 due to the reduced cross-border movement of Rwandan citizens. 4 2.2 Katuna OSPB, FY208/19 INFLOW OUTFLOW Month Trucks Small Buses Total f-rucks Small Buses Total Cars Cars Iul-18 3,880 978 751 5,612 2,623 r,o79 74L 4,443 Aue-18 3,894 L,272 778 5,944 2,752 7,321 789 4,682 Sep-18 3,607 1,006 72t 5,334 3,726 948 753 5,427 Oct-18 3,260 8B 762 4,910 3,287 878 715 4,880 Nov-18 3,310 1,010 691 5,011 3,3 56 1,012 666 5,034 Dec-18 3,180 1,288 754 < )')) 3,34 5 1,3 50 785 5,480 Tan-19 2,905 I,012 707 4,624 3,184 1,013 663 4,860 Feb-19 2,777 84 621 4,":41 3,t67 943 595 4,705 Mar-19 B -{6s 262 735 0 4L9 255 674 ,2 Apr-19 0 57'.2 -t I) 1(l 0 48L 279 760 May-19 0 53(; 287 a,-.) 0 510 290 800 Iunel9 311 626 283 I :120 22r 64s 2s8 tL24 Total 27,132 LO,494 6,994 44,:;'.Z? 25,661 10,599 6,789 43 Source: URA Data Emerging frorn thc tabie; o The flolv of goocls is highly'con:'ir';'irtccl as there are no trucks plying the Katuna borcier. 3.2 Exports The table belorv shotvs Uganda's exporis byz vnlr. to the EAC for the period July 2018 to June 2019. Country i;Y20t7 /LB ( ';,'rrL- FY?OLB/ 19(Value- %age rlgx) - Growth Burundi 421 ,334,3 ('3 531 139,148,887,859 -67.2t% 2 46 I 310 1,398,783,328,002 -43.2t% Rwanda 585 436 o"i7 .rB 2 426.884.832.406 -27.08% South Sudan 1 220 39 2,51,7,',"87 879,083.888.8s3 -27.970A Tanzania r 3-i 19u 7('(' 1r'2 t7B 213 735 735 32.8r% ,) -37.40% Sub-Total ___ LW,349,6( 11,.12 3,022,114,627,855 Rest of the \Vorld 5, i;5,5i)9,71:' 6' 'l 7,662,168,2 54,760 40.45% Total lqaga-9?q.1 :r3,:15 10,684,282,927,6L9 3.90% Source: URA Data 5 a Emerging from the table above; .