Museveni Calls for Tighter Security At New Busia Border Post: “I Smuggled Weapons Through It”

President Yoweri Museveni, has underscored the need for East African Community countries, to find better ways of monitoring Lake Victoria and other borders, to do away with smugglers.

Speaking on Saturday, at the official commissioning of the Busia One Stop Border Post (OSBP), between Kenya and Uganda, Museveni said that, currently, Uganda and its neighboring countries, are using ordinary means like physical inspection which are not up to the standard and cannot completely stop wrongful people, from smuggling unauthorized goods.

President Museveni added that, there is need to install scanners at major land borders, to detect hidden smuggled goods.

“I was smuggling weapons through this border here,” said the President. “You should have scanners. We are working to put monitoring stations. We shall have a Lake Victoria monitoring plan too. We need eyes to see what is happening on Lake Victoria,” he said.

Present at the commissioning was President Uhuru Kenyatta, and other top government officials, from both countries.

Kenyan President Kenyatta on his part stressed the need for improved trade between the neighboring countries.

“Promoting trade between us as countries in the East African region is our role as leaders. It’s going to be easier now that we have this Busia One Stop Border Post,” he said.

Trade minister, Amelia Kyambadde says, the one-stop-border stage had by November last year reduced transportation of goods from the port of Mombasa, to less than five days compared to 18 days previously, and that the cost of transportation of Ugandan goods, had reduced by 30%.