Uganda protests discriminatory trade charges at EAC meeting

Uganda has formally protested the imposition of discriminatory trade charges by fellow East African Community (EAC) Partner States, calling for their immediate removal in line with regional trade agreements.

During a high-level meeting of EAC Permanent Secretaries held yesterday, Uganda’s delegation—led by Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, Patrick Ocailap—presented a strong case against the continued imposition of excise duties and levies on Ugandan exports by certain member states, particularly Kenya and Tanzania.

Ocailap singled out Kenya for imposing discriminatory excise duties on Ugandan-made tiles and several agricultural products, which, he said, directly contravene the provisions of the EAC Customs Union Protocol. He also pointed to Tanzania’s imposition of an Industrial Development Levy—reportedly in retaliation against Kenya’s trade restrictions—as further evidence of the breakdown in adherence to EAC rules.

“All Member States imposing excise duties and levies on goods originating from other EAC Partner States should immediately remove them,” Ocailap said, presenting Uganda’s position. “These actions go against Articles 10 and 15 of the EAC Customs Union Protocol and undermine the spirit of regional integration.”

EAC Customs Union Protocol: The Legal Framework

Under Article 10, Partner States are prohibited from imposing any new duties or charges of equivalent effect on imports from within the Community. Article 15 further reinforces this by barring the application of discriminatory internal taxes or fiscal policies that could distort intra-EAC trade.

In addition, Article 39 of the Protocol emphasizes the uniform application of customs laws across all Partner States, unless specific exemptions are provided within the Protocol itself.

Despite the legally binding nature of these provisions, instances of trade disputes—often politically or economically motivated—have persisted across the region, occasionally prompting retaliatory measures and undermining the Customs Union’s goals.

Uganda Urges EAC to Uphold Integration Principles

Ocailap’s call comes amid growing frustration over the slow enforcement of EAC trade protocols and repeated violations that threaten the gains made under regional integration. Uganda, like several other Partner States, has increasingly emphasized the need for predictable and fair intra-regional trade policies to support industrialization, competitiveness, and economic growth across the bloc.

The East African Community Customs Union, established in 2005, aims to create a single customs territory where goods move freely without tariffs or non-tariff barriers among Partner States. However, enforcement inconsistencies have frequently led to bilateral tensions, such as the Uganda-Kenya milk and sugar disputes in recent years.

With the EAC now comprising seven member states—Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo—the call for deeper economic cohesion and respect for shared rules has become more urgent than ever.