“During the harvesting period, carrots are imported from the neighbouring country, but by the power I have been given by the president, not a single carrot will be imported into the district,” Mr Muro told Arumeru residents.
This line of action undermines a comprehensive Common Market Protocol, signed by the five East African Community partner states, officially binding themselves to open up their borders for free movement of goods, labour and capital across the region.
Some members of the the East African Community have questioned Tanzania’s commitment in facilitating economic development in the trade bloc.
“This is a form of non-tariff barrier,” said the East African Business Council Trade and Policy advisor, Adrian Njau.
“Today they will ban carrots from Kenya, next time Kenya will ban carrots from Tanzania,” said lecturer Gasper Mpehongwa cautioning that ordinary East Africans were the victims of such decisions.
Kenya and Tanzania have been having diplomatic break ups since last year under Magufuli’s administration.
Do some of these administrators ever know that Tanzanian trucks have been queing in Nairobi with deliveries of tomatoes, oranges and onions? Does the administrator think that Kenyans do not grow all the mentioned crops? We have plenty that has even going to waste, yet, we entertain our Tanzanian brothers to trade their products. It is foolhardy to assume some things and just act to please the powers that be. The administrator should wake up and collect a similar data on trucks crossing border for Kenyan market.
We are closely watching the unfolding developments and harassment on Kenyan traders by the Tanzanian authorities. Soon, we may have it enough and the consequences will call for absolute solutions that shall include -doing away with such sycophants that cannot think independently.