Nature of Cross-Border Food Commodities Smuggling in Busia Town, Kenya

Smuggling is a global phenomenon which is quite complex due to its complex operations and the diverse commodities involved. The means by which commodities cross the border is the main issue that makes the cross border trade illegal. This illegal trade is common on the Kenya-Uganda Busia border town. This study examined cross-border smuggling of food commodities from Uganda influencing socio-economic status of households of Busia town, Kenya. The first specific objective was to analyze the nature of cross-border smuggling of food commodities from Uganda influencing socio-economic status of households of Busia town, Kenya. The study utilized human needs and transnationalism theories to examine cross-border smuggling of food commodities from Uganda influencing socio-economic status of households of Busia town, Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Stratified sampling technique was used to arrive at 8 strata, namely that of transporters, local residents, traders, trade agents, hawkers, revenue collectors, opinion leaders and that of government officers. Sample sizes of 193 respondents were selected from these strata and they were arrived at through census, purposive and snowballing sampling methods. Data collection instruments were Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), interviews, observation and questionnaires and secondary data through document analysis. Quantitative data was analyzed using appropriate descriptive statistics while qualitative data involved thematic and content analysis. The findings of study indicate that the social and economic effects of smuggling have both positive and negative effects on individual households, depending on the outcome in relation to an individual's engagement in the activity. The study recommends that Kenya and Uganda governments work in collaboration come up with friendly policy on trading in food commodities so as to reduce illegal trade of food commodities.