By Daily Monitor

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Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni is on a two-day state visit to Kenya.

Speaking at the closing session of the second Uganda-Kenya Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) at the Sheraton Hotel on Tuesday afternoon, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mr Musalia Mudavadi, said the state visit would provide the two countries with "an excellent opportunity to exchange views and review progress on the many bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest".

The JPC opened on Monday, with technocrats from both countries reviewing the outcomes of the first meeting which took place in March 2019.

Read: Museveni, Ruto leave investors mulling about oil spat

Trade facilitation through the removal of non-tariff barriers, cross-border [re]affirmation and security topped the agenda of the second JPC.

The meeting culminated with the signing of nine memoranda of understanding in areas of mutual cooperation between the two governments.

“It is my desire that the issues on Non-Tariff Barriers that have continued to hamper cross-border trade between our countries are further discussed at length and a conclusive position reached to enable the augmentation of bilateral trade,” Mudavadi said.

He added: “It is also imperative to address other outstanding issues relating to, immigration, boundary reaffirmation which has progressed at a slow pace due to challenges related to funding, thereby impacting on the programme of action, and other cross-border matters are addressed at the earliest.”

Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Minister Gen Jeje Odongo said, “I am confident that if we openly discuss and appropriately resolve these constraints; we will enhance our mutual understanding, deepen our bilateral cooperation, enhance trade between our countries, and promote common prosperity for our people.”

Kenya has on several occasions blocked Ugandan agricultural products including powdered milk and eggs.

Read: Kenya opens window for Uganda powder milk

The two countries also witnessed months of economic unrest after Kenyan authorities denied their Ugandan counterparts access to petroleum infrastructure forcing the latter to kick start their new importation plan, through the state-owned Uganda National Oil Company.

President Museveni and his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto had to sit down before this impasse was solved.

Despite these hiccups, Kenya has remained one of Uganda’s major export destinations in the region and continent at large.