Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati and Uganda’s Minister for East African Affairs Kirunda Kivejinja have called for closer cross-border relations between the county and Eastern Uganda.
Kivejinja, who is also Uganda’s second Deputy Prime Minister, said the Ugandan government will invest more in boosting trade between communities on either side of the shared border.
Bungoma County is seeking to reap big from its strategic location as a gateway to Uganda and into other Eastern and Central Africa countries including Rwanda, Burundi and Southern Sudan.
The County shares two border points with Uganda at Lwakhakha and Chepkube.
The Malaba border point in Busia, situated 43km from Bungoma’s Central Business District, is also a vantage point in the region that makes it ideal for cross-border trade with Uganda and other countries on the Northern Corridor.
Speaking on Monday when he opened the first Cross-Border (Cultural/Tourism) Expo between Bungoma and Eastern Uganda at The Tourist Hotel in Bungoma, Kivenjinja said the event was a turning point to actualise the integration of the East Africa Community.
"This is the clearest intention to bring a people otherwise divided by colonial demarcations together," Kivenjinja said, adding that a bigger East Africa will create room enough for everybody.
He called on the two regions to collaborate in finding common solutions to their shared problems and look within for growth.
Governor Wangamati called on the two neighbours to take advantage of their location to grow business between them.
Uganda, he said, is Kenya's second biggest and most important export market.
"As a County, we have no choice but to find a way for closer cooperation with Uganda," he said.
Wangamati commended the Cross-Border Cultural Expo as the first and critical step towards integration of the East African Community.
He said the two regions are in fact the best ambassadors for the integration, drawing from their proximity and shared culture including common language.
Wangamati also emphasized the need for the two regions to grow other sectors of the economy.
The governor revealed that they had reached an agreement with Uganda to hold the East African AgriBusiness Expo in Bungoma on a date to be decided later as a follow up to the economic integration.
Wangamati challenged the Ugandan government to follow President Uhuru Kenyatta's move and lift visa requirements for East Africans seeking access to Uganda.
Uganda's Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Minister Godfrey Ssubi challenged the two regions to be champions of regional and cultural integration.
"As a region, our biggest tourist product is our rich and diverse culture," Ssuubi said.
He said the integration will help spur the knowledge for East Africans to market their culture to the outside world.
Ugandan High Commissioner to Kenya Phibby Awere said Bungoma County and Eastern Uganda would discuss cross border relations and other issues of mutual interest through the joint expo.
She said possibilities to partner on trade and culture will also be explored.
"This conference would go a long way in catalysing trade and investment and promoting social cultural interactions between the two regions," she said.
Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi, CECs from Bungoma and Kakamega, Chief Officers and cultural leaders from different communities on either side of the border also attended the event.