(Muhuru Bay) – Communities living along the Kenya-Tanzania border are pushing for deeper cultural and trade connections to enhance regional integration and promote socio-economic growth. This push is especially evident among the Luo, Kuria, and Maasai communities, who share historical ties across the border.
In a recent development, the residents of Muhuru Bay in Nyatike, Kenya, and their counterparts in Shirati-Mara, Tanzania, came together to celebrate the Rorya Fursa Festival. The event, held just 30 kilometers from the Muhuru Bay border post, served as a platform for exchanging cultures, customs, and ideas. The festival focused on agriculture, tourism, and fishing, with the aim of encouraging investment and cooperation between the two countries.
Anderson Ayuku, the Deputy County Commissioner of Nyatike South, led the Muhuru Bay delegation. During the event, he highlighted the importance of cross-border collaboration for cultural integration and peaceful coexistence. He also stressed that these efforts should be maintained to ensure sustainable economic development on both sides of the border.
In addition to promoting cultural exchange, the festival underscored the importance of facilitating business transactions between the two countries. Ayuku revealed that local administrators had met with revenue authorities from both Kenya and Tanzania to streamline processes, making it easier for border communities to engage in trade. This collaboration aims to improve compliance and foster smoother cross-border transactions.
Furthermore, the festival provided a forum for discussing security challenges in the border region. Both communities agreed to strengthen their cooperation to combat illegal activities, ensuring that neither side harbors criminals or individuals involved in unlawful activities.
Fani Haule, the local administrator from Rorya District in North Mara, Tanzania, expressed gratitude for the partnership with Nyatike. He emphasized that such collaborations were crucial in addressing common challenges such as theft, illicit alcohol trade, counterfeit goods, and marine issues in Lake Victoria. Haule also highlighted the role of the local administration, police, and marine services in managing these issues effectively.
The festival also featured a football tournament, which aimed to promote local talent and foster interaction between the young people of both communities. This initiative was seen as a way to engage the youth in positive activities while also providing opportunities for income generation.
Paul Migwambo, the Football Kenya Federation-Migori Chairperson, praised the partnership between the cross-border communities. He noted that such initiatives not only promote cultural understanding but also contribute to the broader goal of East African integration. Migwambo emphasized that if these efforts were scaled across the region, they could significantly accelerate the integration of East Africa, benefiting the more than 300 million people in the community.
Earlier this year, during a visit to Migori, the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Kenya, Henriette Geiger, spoke about the importance of border infrastructure in fostering trade. Geiger highlighted the EU-funded One Stop Border Post at Isebania-Sirare, located at the Kenya-Tanzania border, which aims to ease trade within the EAC. She encouraged the EAC to emulate the European Union’s model of cross-border cooperation, which strengthens the economies of member countries, promotes peace and unity, and enhances free trade and movement across borders.