An assertion by the Uganda transport authority that it was intensifying talks with its Tanzanian counterpart to make increased and better use of the Southern corridor is a clear hint that Great Lakes countries are intensifying their search for an alternative to the Northern corridor.

Transport experts in the country are now pointing fingers at last year's post- election chaos, which led to big losses to transit businesses, as being behind the impetus for the chase of an alternative rout by the landlocked nations in the great lakes region.

The Uganda minister for finance, Ezra Suruma was quoted as saying that his government was keen than ever before to explore with the Tanzanian authorities the use of a southern transport corridor from Uganda to the Tanzanian port of Dar- es -Salaam.

The southern corridor involves the use of ferries on Lake Victoria between port Bell near Kampala and Mwanza on the Tanzanian end of the lake, and the railway from Mwanza to Dar- es- Salaam.

The use of the southern corridor at its current location according to experts, however, could be expensive than the Northern corridor , which joins the port of Mombasa.

However they warn that if the corridor is concluded as outlined in the Dar- es- Salaam declaration, the port of Mombasa would kiss goodbye business from some great lakes countries - Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia

And transport experts are saying that the Kenyan authority has been taking KPA's dominance for granted which has translated to harsh business conditions for transit business.

"Kenyan process of clearing transit cargo is becoming cumbersome day by day due to the increasing new conditions from KRA. The transport system, in particular rail transport, is in pathetic condition. Believe me, the Mombasa port is the most expensive port compared to other developing nation ports.

Tell me why these countries (landlocked East African nations) could look for an alternative to the Northern corridor." Observes Lisimbu Eliombo, a customer expert in the secretariat of the transit transport co-ordination authority of the Northerm corridor.

The northern corridor road runs from Mombasa to Malaba on the Uganda border and also serves Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Uganda and southern Sudan.

The port of Mombasa has been dominating the transit business in the region, but landlocked nation have been raising alarm over poor infrastructure and the augmenting cost of conducting business with Kenya.

The move resulted for the a section of great lakes countries, in the year 2000, to moot an initiative of looking for an alternative rout to the northern corridor which could intertwine the region and came up with the southern corridor project-great lakes region railway.

The project would provide a railway system interconnecting lakes Tanganyika, Kivu, and Edward as well as an inter-linkage with the southern and eastern railway systems.

It also entails the construction of the rail lines linking the lakes, improving of the inland waterways, upgrading existing lake ports, providing efficient and appropriate water transport equipment on the lakes.

Source: Business Day (Kenya)