The celebratory atmosphere at the Katuna/Gatuna border was temporarily short-lived on Monday morning after it emerged that passengers will not be immediately allowed to cross to and from Rwanda.
Although Rwanda announced last week that it would reopen all its border crossings with Uganda today, Ugandan officials were informed that only cargo trucks would be allowed to cross for the time being.
Abel Bizimana, the Kisoro LC5 chairman told ChimpReports that he had received a call from the Mayor of Burera in Rwanda, who told him that passengers would not be allowed to cross right away.
“They are saying that only cargo will be allowed and not passengers until they get another communication,” Bizimana said.
Later after a meeting between officials from both countries, Marcelino Bwesigye, Uganda’s Assistant Commissioner Immigration Inspections said the two countries had for now agreed that “priority is given to cargo trucks.”
“Regarding the humans, we follow the EAC Covid Protocols. What is important to understand is that the reopening of this border is still within this Covid period…the important thing is that, non-essential travel is not encouraged; and this is not because of this border, but because of Covid,” he said.
By Monday afternoon, passengers from both countries were not allowed to cross the border, pending harmonization of the Covid19 handling procedures.
Mr Bwesigye said the Ministry of Health Officials from both countries were working out modalities and “in due course, the public will be informed about the normal smooth travel.”
While no specific time line was mentioned on when cross border passenger travel would be allowed, there were reports in Kigali, that buses traveling to Kampala would commence movement tomorrow Tuesday.
Indeed, bus companies were ticketing passengers the trip.
