President Kagame with
Nyagah (2L), Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo, Chief
Economist in the Kenyan Ministry of Transport, George Ndegwa (2R), and
Kenyan Deputy High Commissioner, Kennedy Mokaya after the meeting
yesterday. .
Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has re-assured
Rwandans, especially the business community, that the upcoming
presidential elections will not interfere with the trade flow from Kenya
to Rwanda.
Kibaki’s message was delivered to President Paul
Kagame yesterday afternoon by the former’s special envoy, Joseph Nyagah,
also the Minister for Cooperative Development.
The last Kenyan
election violence in 2007 left over 600,000 people displaced following a
disputed presidential poll and more than 1,200 people were killed.
Ugandan
and Rwandan businesses lost their properties worth US$47.5 million in
the violence, and are still awaiting compensation.
Most products
to and from regional countries go through Mombasa port, the biggest
port in the region. Rwanda mainly relies on Northern Corridor that also
serves other countries like Uganda, (Northern) Tanzania, DR Congo and
South Sudan, which highlights Kenya’s significance in regional trade.
In
January, the Rwanda Long Distance Trucks Drivers Association had asked
for assurance from the Kenyan government that their goods would be
secure as they are being ferried from Mombasa.
“President Kibaki
asked me to come and explain to President Kagame what we have done this
time in order to ensure that the flow of trade will continue
irrespective of what happens in Kenya. I was able to explain to
President Kagame that unlike last time in 2007 when the security forces
were caught unaware by the situation, this time our security system is
ready. We also have major changes in the Judiciary and other
institutions,” Nyaga told The New Times in an interview.
Mombasa
is Rwanda’s main exit and entry port through Uganda. The port handled
over 260,238 tonnes of Rwanda-bound goods last year, up from 226,093
tonnes in the previous year. The Northern corridor is shorter and les
costly compared to ferrying goods through Dar-es-Salaam.
Nyaga
pointed out that, “As far as the flow of trade is concerned we confirm
there is peace at the port of Mombasa for the goods of the neighbouring
countries and we also assured the President that we have security
arrangements in case of chaos which we do not anticipate this time.”
President Kibaki, who has led the country since 2002, will step down after the March 4, 2013 general election.
According to Nyaga, “there will be a special escort for consignments from the port all the way to Malaba Kenya border.
“We
have helicopters surveying and controlling the route, we have security
personnel every few kilometres all the way because we are committed as a
country to ensuring Rwandans do not suffer,” he said.
He added
that President Kibaki felt it was fair to explain to his Rwandan
counterpart about the measures taken to ensure safety of trade flow
during this period.
“President Kagame understood and appreciated
the concerns that Kenya has. There are more measures that have been put
in place and we expect that what happened would not happen again,” said
Nyaga.
During the 2007/o8 post election violence, President
Kagame proposed that a stable institution in Kenya could have saved the
situation.
Kenya has since undertaken sweeping reforms. Parts
ammendments in the reforms in the Constitution and changes in the
police, army and Judiciary.
Over 600 Kenyans in Rwanda have
registered to participate in the election and they will, for the first
time, cast their votes at the Kenyan High Commission in Kigali.
The
candidates in the race for Kenya’s top office include Uhuru Kenyatta
(Jubilee Coalition), Raila Odinga (Cord), Mohamed Abduba Dida and Martha
Wangari Karua. Others are Peter Kenneth, Prof James ole Kiyiapi, Paul
Muite and Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi.
In a related development, President Kibaki, yesterday called for calmness during the elections.
He
said, “I make a passionate plea for all of us to vote peacefully.
Indeed, peace is the cornerstone of our development. As a country, we
must consolidate the development strides we have made by ensuring a
free, fair, just and peaceful election. Let us send a clear message to
the world, that our democracy has come of age. A peaceful vote is a vote
for a secure, prosperous and stable Kenya.”