Traders in Lake Zone regions have asked the government to reduce the number of road blocks along the Mwanza- Sirari highway, accusing it of fuelling illegal businesses and smuggling of commodities in and out of Tanzanian borders.
With most of them engaged in the export of cotton and groundnuts to neighbouring Kenya, the businesspeople claimed that most of road blocks were ill-placed and were being used as a source for personal gain.
Bariadi-based groundnuts exporter, Pius Sabeya, said many road blocks were blocking smooth flow of diverse agricultural products, and called on the government to reduce them.
“Despite compliance with existing regulations, we sense that most of the road blocks have been unjustly charging higher for agricultural crops being transported outside the country,” he said. He said that at the road blocks traders were frequently charged between 20,000/- and 50,000/-per vehicle carrying crops to the Kenyan side.
There are more than fifteen road blocks in a distance of about 200 kilometres from Mwanza to Musoma. Lucia Bijampola, a rice businesswoman based in Mwanza, said the government gains nothing from the countless road blocks on the highway. She noted that the road blocks generated loss to the business community and the government, while they enriched those who manned them.
The traders claimed that Kenya offers a lucrative market for their products, but the road blocks denied the government huge revenues since most traders opted to smuggling to avoid harassment from officials at the road blocks.
Seif Hamduni, a businessman in Mwanza, said there were five road blocks from Mwanza to Magu, a distance of about 60 kilometres, and advised the regional authorities to reduce them since they were a nuisance to both passengers and transporters. In response, regional authorities in Mwanza, Simiyu and Mara regions said plans were under way to assess the situation with a view to rectifying the problem.
“We are aware of the problem, but we will work on that in due course to ensure traders and the government benefit from the fast growing trade between Kenya and Tanzania,” said Bunda district executive director, Simon Mayeye.
By MOSES MATTHEW, Tanzania Daily News
