Cases of Kenyan truck drivers being abducted, tortured and even killed in South Sudan will soon be a thing of the past, if assurances by the Principal Secretary (PS) for East African Community (EAC) Affairs Dr. Caroline Karugu are anything to go by.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, July 13, PS Karugu said bilateral talks between her State Department and South Sudanese authorites have started and ongoing, regarding the safety of Kenyan truck drivers in the world’s youngest country.
“The harassment of Kenyan truck drivers in South Sudan will stop soon. Already, the State Department for East African Affairs is engaging with South Sudanese Government with the hope of reaching a mutual agreement that will see the two countries collaborate even more on matters economy,” PS Karugu, who is also the acting PS for the State Department for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) and Regional Development, told journalists at Nairobi’s Radisson Blu Hotel.
An integral part of the bilateral talks will see South Sudanese military provide security to the truck drivers along the Northern Corridor, instead of harassing them. A second follow-up meeting will be held in the coming weeks.
Solving the abduction, torture menace
Earlier this month, Kenyan truck drivers entering South Sudan through Nimule staged protests after one of their own was allegedly assaulted by soldiers along the Juba-Nesitu Road.
According to the Long Distance Drivers and Conductors Association of Kenya (LODDCA), the driver, identified as Mzee Malalo, was attacked on July 1 and rushed to a hospital in Juba in critical condition.
In May this year, the truck drivers also staged a two-weeks strike, paralysing transport activities with claims of facing frequent attacks, extortion, robberies, and harassment while transporting goods along the Nothern Corridor.
They resumed operations after negotiations between the Government of South Sudan and the Long-Distance Truck Drivers’ Union aimed at addressing security and welfare concerns raised by the drivers.
A government delegation led by the Deputy Commissioner of the South Sudan Revenue Authority (SSRA), Solomon Ariik Manyok, visited Nimule to witness the reopening of the vital trade corridor.
“We are here this afternoon to assure the public and the people of South Sudan that vehicles are moving again. After all the discussions we have had, it was crucial to assure the drivers of their security, well-being, and that all their concerns were addressed,” Manyok said.
PS Karugu also revealed that the State Department had strengthened bilateral engagement to resolve trade challenges between Kenya and the entire EAC Partner States.
Some of the achievements so far include the agreement to fast-track development of the Nadapal-Juba Road, the direct transport corridor linking Kenya and South Sudan.
From the engagements, South Sudan undertook to waive the USD 50 Alien Registration Fee charged to Kenyan citizens.
The landlocked nation also deposited the Instruments of Domestication of the EAC Customs Union Protocol with the EAC Secretariat, paving the way for preferential tariff treatment on EAC goods.
