County seeks forestland to establish border town

Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has urged the National government to promptly allocate 100 acres of Suam Forest to the county for the establishment of a border town.

During his visit to the border post yesterday, Natembeya revealed that the Suam border town will create numerous opportunities for businesses within and beyond the county.

With the activation of the railway line between Nairobi and Kitale and the nearing completion of the Kitale-Suam-Kapchorwa Road, cargo transporters will have easy access to the border point to ferry goods to Eastern Uganda and South Sudan, he noted. County bosss expressed concerns that Kenya is not benefiting from businesses in Kenya and Uganda.

Natemebeya cited the need to build a border town and other facilities that will foster cross-border business and enhance the economy. He disclosed that millions in revenue have been lost, as businessmen pay taxes to the Ugandan government and cross to Kenya freely.

Suam residents echoed Natembeya’s sentiments. Jane Cherop, a Kenyan resident of Suam, Uganda, expressed concerns over poverty in the area, as most Kenyans travel long distances to Kitale in Kenya or Mbale town in Uganda to purchase basic commodities or sell their farm produce. She said opening of the border would allow investors to invest in the area.