Bukoba — AT last over 350 trucks which were stranded at Rusumo on
Tanzania- Rwanda border, have been allowed to proceed to Kigali,
following a compromise reached between the two countries.
Ngara District Commissioner (DC), Mr Costantine Kanyasu, told the
'Daily News' in a telephone interview that a convoy of over 350 trucks
on Thursday morning started heading for Kigali.
"Tanzania and Rwanda have agreed on a harmonised user transit charge
(road toll) of 152 USD per trucks plying between the two countries down
from 500 USD. "The trucks got stranded between Benaco and Rusumo post
from September 9, this year, after the Kigali government raised the road
toll from 152 US dollars to 500 US dollars," he said.
Mr Kanyasu, however, expressed concern that the local truck operators
caused a big environmental destruction by recklessly cutting trees for
preparation of food. The spokesperson for Tanzania Transporters
Association (TATOA), Mr Elias Lukumay, appealed to the government to
find a lasting solution to normalise trade relations between the two
neighbouring countries.
The Finance and Economic Affairs Minister, Dr William Mgimwa, was
quoted saying that Tanzania had agreed to the new rates to save the
country from losses it was to incur from the lucrative transit trade.
"Between 200 and 300 trucks cross to Rwanda while just 20 to 30
trucks enter Tanzania from Rwanda. Our traders were set to suffer most,"
he said. Dr Mgimwa and Rwandan Minister for Finance and Planning,
Ambassador Claver Gatete met in Kampala on Wednesday and reached the
agreement.
Rwanda has been complaining on what it described as higher charges by
Tanzanian authorities. At first, Rwanda used to charge 16 USD per 100km
in reciprocal with Tanzania, before it introduced a flat rate of 152
USD and eventually the new rate of 500 USD.
Tanzania is the shortest and affordable transport corridor for Kigali
at a distance of just 1,350km compared to over 2,700km when goods are
transported through Mombasa.
The corridor carries transit consignments destined for Rwanda,
Burundi, Uganda and parts of north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC), such as Bukavu, Kivu and Goma through Rwanda.
