President Magufuli bans Uhuru Kenyatta’s Brookside Dairy from operating in Tanzania
Brookside Dairy has been blocked from accessing the Tanzanian market a week after Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohamed with her Tanzanian counterpart struck a deal to lift trade restrictions between the two countries.
On April 24th, Kenya’s Petroleum Principal Secretary Andrew Kamau announced the ban on gas imports through Tanzania in a bid to eliminate illegal cooking gas filling plants that posed safety and security risks. The PS also imposed a ban on importation of wheat from Tanzania.
Tanzania immediately retaliated by imposing restrictions on milk and milk products and cigarettes manufactured in Kenya.
Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohamed with her Tanzanian counterpart Augustine Mahiga held talks in Nairobi last week where a deal lifting restrictions was brokered.
But Tanzania made a U-turn a day ago and banned 20 Kenyan companies from accessing the Tanzanian market. The Standard reports that President Uhuru’s Brookside Dairy is among companies that have been slapped with the restriction.
Other companies affected by the trade ban include another milk processor New KCC, cigarette manufacturer BAT, all the cement makers, Bidco Oil Refineries and Vivo Llubricants which markets Shell lubricant brands.
Hostilities between the two countries have been the order of the day ever since Kenya lost bid to Tanzania to construct Uganda pipeline through its land.
With the new restrictions, Kenya stands to lose more since it exports more to Tanzania compared to Tanzania’s export to Kenya.
