Uganda: Museveni Waives Visa Requirement for DR Congo Residents Coming into Uganda

President Museveni has directed a waiver on the requirement for visas for Congolese residents getting into Uganda.

“Crossing in East Africa ought to be value free. You pay visa when going to America, Europe however visa to DRC! That’s garbage. If that’s the case, I’ve eliminated it,” Museveni mentioned .

The president directed on Wednesday as he spoke to locals on the Mpondwe Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) border shortly after commissioning part one of many Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Border Export Zone (Market) and Mpondwe One Cease Border Publish in Kasese district.

Museveni’s directive adopted complaints by locals that they’re charged shs10,000 to go to DRC and the identical quantity for Congolese residents getting into Uganda .

Kasese LC.5 Chairperson Muhindi Bukombi Eliphaz had earlier famous that commerce between Uganda and DRC has been affected by restrictions necessities comparable to visa charges in {dollars} equal to shs10,000 for Ugandans to cross into DRC.

He mentioned this affected principally the fish market which has since shifted.

“For functions of selling trendy commerce and within the spirit of the East African group, we request that you just liaise along with your counterpart the president of the DRC Tshisekedi to permit Ugandans free entry with a purpose to facilitate enterprise,” Muhindi mentioned.

Nonetheless, the president mentioned it is not sensible for residents from a fellow East African nation to pay for visas earlier than getting into one other EAC nation.

DRC formally joined the East African Group in April.

Talking on Wednesday, the president urged Ugandans particularly in markets to get again to enterprise now that the nation has been totally opened.

“The rationale we had stopped markets was due to Corona(Covid) however just a few weeks in the past I made a nationwide deal with and mentioned we had opened the nation and we’re now emphasizing immunization. So, the border is now open, our emphasis is now on immunization,” Museveni mentioned.

“The market which we launched down there should be used now.”

The over shs5 billion facility funded by the World Financial institution via Nice Lakes Commerce Facilitation Mission is supposed to allow cross-border commerce by rising the capability for commerce and decreasing the prices confronted by merchants, particularly small-scale and ladies merchants within the borderlands.

The president assured continued peace to the individuals of Kasese and the entire Rwenzori area and applauded his DRC counterpart, Felix Tshisekedi for agreeing to work with Uganda to clear the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels out of Congo and vowed to not depart any stone unturned.

“The ADF ought to give up peacefully as a result of we’ll end them. Wherever they go we will discover them if the Congo authorities permits us as a result of there’s nowhere, we can not attain,” Museveni mentioned.

The State Minister for ICT Kabyanga Godfrey earlier described UPDF’s deployment in DRC as the perfect factor that has occurred in current occasions.

“We have now households and relations in DRC and after we hear that the ADF has killed 200 individuals, we imagine that each particular person in Kasese has misplaced a relative,” Kabyanga mentioned.

Museveni additionally urged the individuals of Kasese to hearken to his message of wealth creation by partaking within the 4 sectors; business agriculture with calculation, trade (manufacturing), companies and ICT.

On business agriculture Museveni emphasised the seven actions for individuals with small parts of land (4 acres and under) on account of excessive returns per acre, every year.

He beneficial; One acre for clonal espresso, One acre for fruits (mangoes, oranges and pineapples- and berries for these in Kasese mountains), One acre for meals crops for the household (cassava, bananas, upland rice or irrigation rice, Irish potatoes, sorghum or millet) and the fourth acre for pasture for dairy cattle (8 of them); poultry for eggs within the yard piggery; and fish farming.

The president reiterated that households with six acres and above can use 4 acres for espresso, fruits, meals crop, dairy farming, pigs, poultry, fish-farming).

He mentioned they’ll additionally produce low worth crops like sugar-cane, cotton, tobacco, maize, and so on and on the opposite two acres along with the excessive worth actions.

“That is the drugs we put for you within the manifesto of 1986 however individuals do not pay attention. Once I was coming right here, I noticed individuals rising cotton. When you stabilize agriculture within the households the whole lot will likely be simple,” Museveni mentioned.

He nonetheless cautioned them in opposition to land fragmentation saying it discourages wealth creation

“The land is for manufacturing to help the household but in addition help the nation. So, if you are going to die, kids should profit from the land by shares not bodily fragmenting it,” he famous.

The president additionally promised to work on the street from Kikorongo to Mpondwe border.

The State Minister for Commerce Harriet Ntabazi mentioned extra 18 markets of this nature will likely be constructed as a approach of constructing bridges to counter the boundaries of commerce between Uganda and different East African nations.

“Your excellency, we thanks for this Christmas present that you’ve given us and we will collectively work collectively to make sure that this market advantages the individuals of Uganda and East Africa,” Minister Ntabazi mentioned.

In line with the Everlasting Secretary Ministry of Commerce and Trade Geraldine Ssali, the market and the one cease border put up will see a rise in regional market exports within the years to come back.

The Commissioner Common (CG) Uganda Income Authority John Musinguzi described the occasion as an affidavit that there is rising enterprise between Uganda and DRC and all authorities companies put collectively should work collectively to facilitate commerce between Uganda and RDC.

Mpondwe One Cease Border Publish in Kasese district turns into the eighth one cease border put up after Malaba, Mutukula, Lwakhakha, Elegu, Katuna, Mirama Hills and Ntoroko additionally set solely ready to be commissioned.

Two extra are underneath development together with Suam River one cease border put up in Bukwo on the border with Kenya.

In line with district officers, the Mpondwe border market is a recreation changer for the city council that has been scuffling with native income collections.

Uganda’s commerce with DRC has progressed over time with the nation’s export to DRC now amounting to over $300million.

Export via Mpondwe majorly contains agriculture produce and industrial merchandise.

The ceremony was attended by amongst others State Minister for Native Authorities Victoria Rusoke, State Minister of the East African Group Magode Ikuya, spiritual leaders and officers from the federal government of the Democratic Republic of Congo.