Passengers struggling to board a bus.[Photo/the-star.co.ke]
Ugandan traders have warned that a continued night travel ban by the Kenyan government on long-distance public service vehicles will lead to a hike in prices of commodities.
According to the chairman Kampala City Traders Association (Kacita), Mr Everest Kayondo, the ban has cost implications on the side of traders due to the increased number of transaction days.
“The ban is affecting our traders badly because most of them travel in the night as they go on with normal business during the day. This means the journey time which has been three days will now go up to six days or more,” said Mr Kayondo.
He stated that the added time hikes the cost of doing business as people incur extra expenses.
He, however, says the traders have started consultations with the Uganda's Ministry of Trade to assess if the ban is a non-tariff barrier.
The discussions will also inform the way forward.
“As Kacita we have been fighting the introduction of non-tariff barriers and with this ban, discussions are ongoing with the Trade ministry,” said Mr Kayondo.
Mr David Ondyege, a trader who was stuck at the Busia border for days, told the Daily Monitor how the ban was affecting their businesses.