Smuggling drops at Holili border after easing restrictions

Moshi. Smuggling of goods has declined sharply at the Holili border post between Tanzania and Kenya, thanks to easing of restrictions.
Revenue agency officials and traders alike have confirmed that the use of alternative ‘panya’ routes has gone down in favour of the official route.
Yusuph Mwahu, a Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) official in charge of Customs has attributed this to intensified public sensitisation programmes.
“The decline in smuggling has boosted trade between the two countries. The volumes have increased in recent weeks,” he told The Citizen in an interview.
Mr Mwahu said unlike in the past the revenue authorities and other border agencies from the two countries at Holili were now closely cooperating, hence boosting trade.
Ms Diana Mtaita, a woman trader from Kenya said they were now using the official border routes as there was no need to smuggle goods across the borders.
“We have been sensitised on the need to pay the required levies and the risks of using the ‘panya’ routes. That include confiscation of our goods,” she said.
However, she said they were burdened by high taxation for their merchandise that do not fetch much in the markets due to their low value.
Mr Makulomba Mandari, a maize trader from Tanzania said trade was moving on smoothly at Holili due to restored trust between the two countries.
“Relations between Tanzania and Kenya are now cordial after the visit to Kenya by President Samia Suluhu Hassan,” he said, noting that, there was a free movement of goods and people.  The trade between the two countries got a boost after consultations between the leaders of the two counties and respective business organisations.
A Holili-based local trader Gustaph Mpandamila said unnecessary restrictions for cross border traders are now history at Holili, hence the smooth flow of goods.
According to the East African Business Council (EABC) trade volumes at the official Holili border crossing with Kenya have picked up lately. Trucks carrying goods increased by 73 percent last year to 33,000 from 19,000 in 2020, a sign of recovery and resilience against Covid-19 impact and easing of restrictions.
During 2018 and 2019, a total of 23,500 and 26,000 lorries crossed the border respectively, statistics by an apex body of private sector associations indicated.
Although most of the goods are traded between the two  neighbours (Tanzania and Kenya), others are on transit to the land-locked countries within the East African region.
The  Holili/Taveta One Stop Border Post (OSBP),  constructed at the cost of $12 million, is one of the dozen designated border crossings for trade facilitation in the region.