Kenya has agreed to allow wheat and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) imports from Tanzania following bilateral talks. According to a joint communique issued by the Kenya’s Ministry of Trade, the Tanzanian products had been prevented from entering Kenya due to a number of administrative issues. “Tanzanian LPG and wheat should flow without restrictions to Kenya with immediate effect,” the ministry said on Friday. Following consultations between trade officials from Tanzania and Kenya, the two governments undertook a fact finding mission on Thursday at the Namanga border Post to further follow up the progress made on the decisions of the Heads of State of Kenya and Tanzania to unlock the trade impasse. Kenya’s Trade principal secretary Chris Kiptoo said that regarding LPG imports into Kenya, the delay in the implementation of the directive issued on July 28 to allow free flow of LPG from Tanzania was due to an administrative challenge. He added that Tanzanian wheat imports were restricted from entering Kenya due to an existing East African Community legal provision. “Therefore, the 26 trucks currently stopped at the border should be released immediately since the legal lacuna has been resolved,” Kiptoo said. The statement added that a meeting of key stakeholders including wheat millers and farmers association should be held during the next bilateral meeting to agree on how to support wheat farming in the two countries. Xinhua
