Transporters between Mombasa and Bujumbura are yet to fully utilise the Voi-Taveta/Holili-Arusha-Singida road network, which forms part of the trunk road between the two cities, because Tanzania continues to drag its feet in geofencing the Arusha-Singida stretch.
A road is geofenced when it has inspection points and cargo passing through it can be tracked electronically for taxation and avoidance of dumping of goods.
Geofencing guards against theft and loss of cargo while in transit.
The highway, covering 1,545km, was completed in 2018, and is meant to reduce the transit distance from Mombasa to Bujumbura on the Northern Corridor by 358 kilometres.
It is part of the East African Community (EAC) Regional Road Network Programme meant to boost cargo through Arusha to other EAC member states in the Great Lakes.
Truckers accuse the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) of laxity in geofencing the road, but some observers blame it on the insidious competition for business between Mombasa and Dar es Salaam ports.
The Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has geofenced the Voi-Taveta side.
If the corridor increases efficiencies, then importers and exporters in some parts of Tanzania, and Burundi and DRC might prefer Mombasa to Dar es salaam as their port of choice.
“We are caught up between the regional ports scramble for business, and that is why we can’t ferry goods past the Taveta One-Stop Border Point as, past there, the goods would not be tracked and would therefore be declared stolen,” explained Hamisi Juma, a Mombasa transporter.
The Northern Corridor Council of Ministers have petitioned Tanzania to allow cargo headed for Burundi, Rwanda, and DRC to pass through its borders to shorten the transit time and reduce costs.
The ministers recently met in Kenya and, in a joint communique, said they had directed the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority (NCTTCA) secretariat of the “to initiate measures towards promoting the use of roads through Tanzania that link Burundi, Rwanda and DRC through Taveta to the Port of Mombasa.”
“This will not only reduce costs of transport but also increase Mombasa Port throughput,” said the council was chaired by Uganda’s Works and Transport minister Katumba Wamala.
If it is opened to transit goods transporters, Northern Corridor-bound trucks, which have traditionally had to take the longer route from Mombasa through Uganda to Rwanda, Burundi, and DRC, will cut their travel distance by 23 percent.
The East African Community Customs Union requires that trucks ferrying imported commodities be tracked using the Regional Electronic Cargo Tracking System.
Currently, truckers that opt for the short Taveta-Holili route have to deposit a “bond” for the cargo at the Mombasa port, submit it at the border, wait for its cancellation, then institute another one for Tanzania, a process that takes at least three days.
“That is why it is important that the section from Holili be geofenced,” said NCTTCA executive secretary Omae Nyarandi.
“There’s a section of about 21 kilometres that has not been geofenced.”
The route has attracted other projects meant to decongest Mombasa port, including development of Voi dry port in Taita-Taveta County.
The dry port is projected to boost cargo transit to Tanzania and Burundi thorough Holili Singida-Kobero border and finally to Bujumbura.
Heztech Engineering Ltd was awarded contract to carry out feasibility study for the port, which will also benefit locals, and cut down cost of transport to northern Tanzania and Burundi.
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Tanzania Confirms Second Marburg Outbreak After WHO Chief Visit
Dar es Salaam — Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has declared an outbreak of Marburg virus, confirming a single case in the northwestern region of Kagera after a meeting with WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The confirmation follows days of speculation about a possible outbreak in the region, after the WHO reported a number of deaths suspected to be linked to the highly infectious disease.
While Tanzania’s Ministry of Health declared last week that all suspected cases had tested negative for Marburg, the WHO called for additional testing at international reference laboratories.
“We never know when an outbreak might occur in a neighbouring nation. So we ensure infection prevention control assessments at every point of care as routine as a morning greeting at our workplaces.”Amelia Clemence, public health researcher
Subsequent laboratory tests conducted at Kagera’s Kabaile Mobile Laboratory and confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one positive case, while 25 other suspected cases tested negative, the president told a press conference in Dodoma, in the east of the country today (Monday).
“The epicentre has now shifted to Biharamulo district of Kagera,” she told the press conference, distinguishing this outbreak from the previous one centred in Bukoba district.
Tedros said the WHO would release US$3 million from its emergencies contingency fund to support efforts to contain the outbreak.
Health authorities stepped up surveillance and deployed emergency response teams after the WHO raised the alarm about nine suspected cases in the region, including eight deaths.
The suspected cases displayed symptoms consistent with Marburg infection, including headache, high fever, diarrhoea, and haemorrhagic complications, according to the WHO’s alert to member countries on 14 January. The organisation noted a case fatality rate of 89 per cent among the suspected cases.
“We appreciate the swift attention accorded by the WHO,” Hassan said.
She said her administration immediately investigated the WHO’s alert.
“The government took several measures, including the investigation of suspected individuals and the deployment of emergency response teams,” she added.
Cross-border transmission
The emergence of this case in a region that experienced Tanzania’s first-ever Marburg outbreak in March 2023 has raised concerns about cross-border transmission, particularly following Rwanda’s recent outbreak that infected 66 people and killed 15 before being declared over in December 2024.
The situation is particularly critical given Kagera’s position as a transport hub connecting four East African nations.
Amelia Clemence, a public health researcher working in the region, says constant vigilance is required.
“We never know when an outbreak might occur in a neighbouring nation. So we ensure infection prevention control assessments at every point of care as routine as a morning greeting at our workplaces.”
The Kagera region’s ecosystem, home to fruit bats that serve as natural reservoirs for the Marburg virus, adds another layer of complexity to disease surveillance efforts.
The virus, closely related to Ebola, spreads through contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe haemorrhagic fever.
Transparency urged
Elizabeth Sanga, shadow minister of health for Tanzania’s ACT Wazalendo opposition party, says greater transparency would help guide public health measures.
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“This could have helped to guide those who are traveling to the affected region to be more vigilant and prevent the risk of further spread,” she said.
WHO regional director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti says early notification of investigation outcomes is important.
“We stand ready to support the government in its efforts to investigate and ensure that measures are in place for an effective and rapid response,” she said, noting that existing national capacities built from previous health emergencies could be quickly mobilised.
The situation coincides with leadership changes in Tanzania’s Ministry of Health, with both the chief medical officer and permanent secretary being replaced.
This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
Source: allafrica.com
