Long-distance truck drivers’ chairman Sudi Mwatela and driver Elijah Nyaga, who had been arrested in Uganda have been released and handed over after intervention by the Teso North Security Committee team, headed by the sub-county Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Solomon Kitai.
The two had been arrested at Elegu town on the Uganda-South Sudan border and detained by Ugandan police in unclear circumstances over the weekend.
According to reports, the two Kenyans had allegedly raised protests over claims of harassment, assault and intimidation of long-distance truck drivers by South Sudan security officers before they were arrested.
Truck drivers arrested in Uganda released
Reports indicate that the main challenge remains in Southern Sudan, where long-distance truck drivers transporting cargo through Uganda to other East African Community member states allegedly face assaults from security officers, prompting them to strike more often over safety concerns.
The Kenya Transporters Association (KTA), confirmed the arrest which came shortly after the leaders helped broker a resolution to the recent trucking standoff along a road linking Uganda and South Sudan.
KTA had revealed that the detained Kenyans played a role in negotiations that addressed the arrest and harassment of truck drivers in South Sudan and led to the signing of a record of resolutions on trade facilitations and highway security on saturday may 9.
The authority further described the reported arrests in Uganda as unjust and deeply concerning, claiming that individuals who had acted in good faith to secure a peaceful solution were now being subjected to arbitrary detention.
