Tanzania, Kenya in fight for lucrative Uganda petroleum trade
A picture taken on May 31, 2021, shows the MV Uhuru, a refurbished cargo ship carrying fuel-loaded wagons, docked at the newly-inaugurated Kisumu port with an oil loading jetty at Lake Victoria in Kisumu, Kenya. PHOTO | BRIAN ONGORO | AFP
The rising political temperatures in Kenya over the Uhuru Kenyatta succession are likely to take a toll on the country’s trade with its East and Central African partners, with importers and transporters on the Northern Corridor already exploring new routes for their cargo.
Just this week, Uganda began a trial delivery of petroleum products from the Dar es Salaam port through Lake Victoria, after a 16-year break. This move spells doom to the Port of Mombasa, which accounts for three-quarters of the transit cargo headed for Uganda.
