By Kampala Sun Writer
Excitement rocked residents of Katuna town council in Kabale district following the full re-opening of the Katuna/Gatuna border between Rwanda and Uganda on Monday.
A video showing a Rwandan-based Volcano bus leaving Kigali for Gatuna amidst excitement trended on social media.
Locals in the border town of Katuna could not wait any longer to interact with the counterparts they had missed for almost three years when the border was closed.
A Rwandan-based bus arrived at the Gatuna side at noon, but kept there for most of the day.
A few passengers, mainly tourists and Congolese, were seen leaving Rwanda for Uganda.
This free movement comes after three years of closure, which the Rwandan government had said was because of COVID-19, among other reasons.
Some of the travellers from Uganda who wanted to cross into Rwanda were denied access on grounds of not following COVID-19 measures. However, those with the right documentation went through.
At 4:30pm, Volcano bus Registration number RAD 260M touched the Ugandan soil.
Saddam Kaweesi Hussein, the Volcano bus inspector, said they were happy to make it to Uganda after a long time of no business.
Monica Mbabazi, a traveller from Kigali to Kampala, said if it was not for the rigorous COVID-19 testing procedures, the journey would not have been stressful.
Peter Gwikwiyakare, the South Western regional manager for Customs at Uganda Revenue Authority, said the resumption of full border operations would help the two countries improve trade and bilateral relations.
