Editorials
Don’t let Kenya, South Sudan border row rock trade
Friday February 10 2023
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir. FILE PHOTO | AFP
The claim by South Sudan that Kenya has encroached on its territory at the Nadapal border point demands urgent resolution in the interest of protecting Kenya’s trade with her northwestern neighbour.
Since 2017, Kenya has been exporting an average of Sh16.5 billion worth of goods to Juba, with volumes expected to go up significantly when the road network connecting the two countries is fully tarmacked.
Kenya must also remain alive to the fact that some of the country’s most expensive and ambitious infrastructure projects, including LAPSSET corridor and the standard gauge railway, are being rolled out with an eye on the huge potential market in South Sudan, and the DRC.
Kenya has also been a key player in the last two decades in the formation of the South Sudan state, and the obvious advantages that the country derives from this position must be protected.
This is not to say that Kenya should immediately admit the liability that is being claimed by South Sudan. It is a call on the relevant ministries to engage with South Sudan to do a joint mapping exercise of the common border, with a view to nipping such disputes in the bud.
