A new smartphone application that allows traders, truck drivers and even passengers to clear customs digitally was unveiled on Monday at the busy Busia One Stop Border Post, promising to cut clearance times and costs across East Africa.
The eCustoms App, developed by the Kenya Revenue Authority in partnership with TradeMark Africa and the British High Commission, lets users file declarations, pay duties and track shipments entirely on their phones.
Small-scale traders crossing the border several times a day stand to save an estimated Sh750 per declaration, a significant boost for the thousands of women and youth who dominate informal trade.
Commissioner for Customs and Border Control Lilian Nyawanda described the launch as a turning point. “When we embrace technology we unlock efficiency, and when we unlock efficiency we unlock prosperity,” she told traders and officials gathered under the midday sun.
The app offers simplified forms for goods worth up to $2,000, pre-clearance for passenger baggage and seamless toll management for empty trucks. Officials say it will reduce the mountains of paperwork that have long clogged border points and left lorries queuing for days.
British Chargé d’Affaires Ed Barnett called the platform a game-changer for transparency and inclusion. “Whether you have a fleet of trucks, a Probox or a boda boda, this app puts the same tools in everyone’s pocket,” he said.
Former Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Boshe, now chair of TradeMark Africa, linked the initiative to wider continental ambitions. “This is not just about Kenya and Uganda. It is about making the African Continental Free Trade Area work in practice,” he told the audience.
The launch comes as regional leaders push to slash non-tariff barriers that still choke intra-African commerce. With the app set to roll out at all Kenyan border posts, officials hope it will set a template for neighbours and accelerate the shift from paper stamps to digital trade corridors across the continent.
For the women balancing sacks of maize on their heads at Busia, the promise is simpler: less waiting, lower costs and a little more money in their pockets by sunset.
