Charging desperate Kenyan pastoralists crossing to Uganda with their livestock USh5,000 (Sh140 ) per animal annually is unreasonable, Kacheliba MP Mark Lomunokol said yesterday.
“The tax imposed is too high for our herders, considering the number of animals each pastoralist has,” he said.
Uganda imposed the tax earlier this year and started implementing it when drought hit Kenya.
Most pastoralists are crossing to Uganda to rescue their animals from the drought that has hit parts of Coast, Northeastern and the Rift Valley.
Lomunokol urged pastoralists to maintain calm as the Kenyan government holds talks with Ugandan officials.
“Next week we shall hold another meeting to see how we shall save our Kenyan pastoralists,” he said.
The MP addressed the press at Alale. He said that last week he led a Kenyan delegation of chiefs and MCAs to meet Ugandan officials at Chesukunya subcounty, but the meeting failed to solve the problem.
Lomunokol said Uganda rejected his proposal that its government set up a livestock market and then tax the proceeds.
He said the taxation may antagonise communities living along the border and lead to a resurgence of cattle rustling. “Communities living along the border have engaged in cattle rustling for a long time. Before coming with such legislation we first need to factor in their peace,” he said.
