Hundreds of Ugandans are crossing the Busia border into Kenya to buy relatively cheap goods, especially textiles, ahead of the Christmas holidays.

David Basalirwa, a trader and resident of Bugiri district in eastern Uganda, says he prefers to buy textiles from Kenya because they are relatively cheaper compared to his nearest trading hub in Iganga district and other Ugandan towns.

“I buy a lot of clothes in Kenya with Ksh1,000 (about Ush24,000), but with the same money in Uganda, I will buy only one cloth,” Basalirwa said, adding that because the clothes are cheap in Kenya, he is able to make ‘good profit’ after selling them in Uganda.

The latest development is in sharp contrast to the past, when Kenyans instead flocked to Uganda to buy textiles.

Such a shift in business is partly attributed to the falling value of the Kenyan currency against the Ugandan shilling – which has made goods cheaper in Kenya compared to Uganda.

Last year, the Kenyan shilling was trading at Ush35 against the Ugandan currency; but currently it has fallen to as low as Ksh24.5, a fall in value of about Ush11 over a period of one year.

Deborah Babirye, who travelled all the way from Namayingo District to the border town of Busia on Monday to buy curtains from Kenya, says the relatively low prices of the goods are pushing traders to buy clothes during the festive season to make a good profit.

Babirye says she bought two pairs of curtains for Ksh400 (Ush9,700) and hopes to resell them in Namayingo for Ush10,000 each.

Ivan Wandera, a resident of Busime Sub- County in Busia District, says he crossed the border into Kenya to buy trousers cheaply. “I bought each pair of trousers for Ksh250 (about Ush6,000), which would have cost me no less than Ush15,000 at home (in Uganda),” he says.