Ruto changes tune on reversing Uhuru project to woo business from Rwanda

Ruto changes tune on reversing Uhuru project Naivasha Inland Container Depot (ICD) as he woos business from Rwanda.

In an effort to win business from Rwanda, President William Ruto on Tuesday, April 4 appeared to moderate his stance on the directive to move the Naivasha Inland Container Depot’s (ICD) operations to Mombasa.

Speaking at a joint press conference in KigaliRuto urged President Paul Kagame to take into account using the port of Mombasa for imports and exports.

He noted that Rwanda can collect the containers from the Naivasha ICD.

“Mombasa is an important port for the People of Rwanda. We will continue to work on building that relationship and the network necessary for us to benefit from the synergy created by our two economies.

“This will help to save on time and cost, hence enhancing trade between the two countries,” Ruto reiterated.

Four years after abandoning Mombasa for Dar es Salaam, President Ruto expressed optimism that Rwanda would return as one of its consumers.

He noted that the government had worked to increase the port’s effectiveness through infrastructure development and modernization.

He added that the introduction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has made rail travel from Mombasa’s port to Naivasha a quicker option than long-distance trucks.

Ruto had during his presidential campaign period in the 2022 elections vowed to return all port operations back to Mombasa from Naivasha Inland Port.

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In 2018, the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) revealed that 70 percent of the country’s imports were through Tanzania in comparison to 30 percent from Kenya.

The RRA Deputy Customs Commissioner at the time Alex Mujeru attributed the shift to the lifting of non-tariff barriers along the Central Corridor, the route from Dar es Salaam to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mujeru reckoned that the route was shorter than the Northern Corridor that connects to the Mombasa Port. Moreso, new developments in the Dar port improved efficiency.

Uganda also shifted to Tanzania, citing the free and efficient movement of cargo.

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