Lack of improvement on Burundi border

Comparing to the organization and how other EAC border operates, Burundi border is less advanced than others. To that extent, people need the issue to be handled and borders reach others reached great step.-Yves Didier Irakoze

Kanyaru border.©Iwacu

“It’s 4:45 am, I arrive at Kanyaru (Rwanda-Burundi border) coming from Uganda. I was astonished first because the officer of the immigration was not there and ready to receive us,” surprised Dan T. He goes on saying that the way the check in system, the verification documents of passengers, and the way the spaces are arranged do not facilitate passengers. Carine Nishimwe, a business woman mentions that when you reach the border of Kanyaru you can’t find a shelter where to sit, you make a long queue somehow in a squatting position not to losing its place or sitting down. Dan adds that at Burundi border the way officer check the documents is not rigorous and even the equipment for checking leaves to desire. “One day, I have been shocked when the officer asks for a passenger a place number of his sits in the bus instead of checking the passport number. And record it in a copy book. The passenger could lie, why not?” surprised Dan.
However, continues Dan, at Uganda border they have the digital fingerprinting to check passengers, they are rigorous in the way that I myself while I was student at Uganda I exceed the deadline of stay with no student pass, The police were rude to me. “In Uganda, their offices are like waiting room where people can wait or be sheltered from the rain. There are projectors that light the place and protect from wrongdoers and they work 24h,” states Galina Ndayisenga, a Burundian student at Kampala. Ndayisenga urges the government and the Ministry of Public Security to improve the system of working at the border by providing enough equipment and update the police of immigration to work rigorously to mention a few.

The immigration Department reacts

According to one of the staff in charge of borders, this issue will be handled soon. He explains that the border of high Kanyaru didn’t knew advances because it still working in the old system. It is different from the Gasenyi, Ruhwa, and Kobero with spotlights because those ones have been built respecting the International standards by the funding from African Bank of Development (BAD). “The studies project of building a standard border of Kanyaru ended up. The border will soon be built with the international norms and start working as other borders,” declares the Officer. He adds that it will be built on the Rwanda side in an extra-territory area because where it is located now is a slippery field. What step is remained is the agreement between the two countries. Then, at that time it will start working from 4am to 10 pm.