PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
East African states take steps towards regional Confederation
Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) – The East African Community (EAC) Heads of State Summit, which kicked off in the Northern Tanzanian city of Arusha on Friday after several postponements, is discussing a planned launch of a regional Confederation of East Africa with a task-force sought to begin writing the constitution for the political confederation, officials said.
The Arusha-based EAC Secretariat announced that key steps have been put in place before the launching of the political confederation which will focus on uniting the armed forces of the partner states through joint counter-terrorism operations and the creation of a joint civilian and Police task force from the partner states region to undertake joint peace support operations.
The EAC Summit also received a progress report on the pending launch of a single currency of the region by 2024, according to EAC Secretary-General, Liberat Mfumukeko.
“There is also considerable progress in the Political Federation pillar and the EAC has set the stage for the commencement of developing a constitution for the Political Confederation as a transitional model of the East African Political Federation,” Mfumukeko told the Summit.
Under the Monetary Union Pillar, programmes for harmonization of Capital Markets and Payment Systems are ongoing, the Secretary-General said.
The Community has harmonized critical policies necessary for a sustainable Monetary Union and remains firmly on course towards attaining a single currency by the year 2024, according to the progress report provided by the Secretary-General.
The East African Legislative Assembly recently enacted the East African Monetary Institute Bill, 2018, and the East African Statistics Bureau Bill, 2018, which are critical elements for the single currency plan.
Ahead of the Summit, the respective heads of state of the six member state regional body appeared to be at odds on a number of internal issues which may have caused the postponement of the Summit, originally planned to take place in Nov. 2018.
In Uganda, the Police recently expelled a Rwandan citizen, Annie Tabura, who worked at a major telecommunication firm in Kampala, and a French national, Olivier Prentout, saying the two were a threat to national security.
“The security agencies, in close coordination with the immigration officials, have been investigating the two foreign nationals working with leading mobile telecom company over their engagements in acts which compromise national security,” Polly Namaye, a Deputy Police Public Communication officer, said in a statement released on 22 Jan., 2019.
Rwandan officials allege that agents based in Kampala have been secretly targeting and eliminating Rwandan refugees living in Uganda while a senior Ugandan Police official was recently dragged to a military court martial accused of spying for Rwanda.
Burundi, which was represented at the EAC Summit by Gaston Sindimwo, its 1st Vice President, while President Pierre Nkurunziza has been accusing Rwanda of backing agents to topple the government in Bujumbura, the capital.
Burundi has also been at odds with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who was tasked with the effort of leading peace talks in the country after President Nkrunziza’s election for a controversial third term in office.
Analysts have been alarmed at the apparent cold war in the region, which comes amid growing efforts to radically integrate the region both politically and economically.
Kenya and Tanzania, on the other hand, have been at odds over trade differences.
Earlier, President Kenyatta said he was taking a message of unity and integration to the Arusha Summit. He hailed the regional body for implementing policies to integrate the region and ease movement of people and goods as well as people working and investing in the region.
According to President Kenyatta, the Summit was expected to address the issues related to skewed business opportunities and ensure equal business platforms for all.
“My agenda in Arusha is to ensure that our nations are united for the purpose of doing business together. We want to break the barriers preventing the people of the region from prospering,” Kenyatta said
Under the Customs Union Pillar, the implementation of the Single Customs Territory is in progress and coverage of goods cleared has been expanded to include all intra-regional trade within the Community.
Efforts to ease the movement of goods in the region have resulted in the drastic reduction of the period taken to clear goods from over 20 days to three or four days on the Central Corridor; and from 21 days to four days from Mombasa to Kampala and from 18 days to six days to Kigali, on the Northern highway Corridor passing through western Kenya from Mombasa, the port.
The EAC Secretariat said it was noteworthy that out of the 15 Borders earmarked to operate as One Stop Border Posts, 13 have been completed and are now operational. The One Stop Border Posts have reduced transit costs incurred in cross border movement by combining the activities of both country’s border organizations and agencies at a single location in each direction.
-0- PANA AO/VAO 1Feb2019
The Arusha-based EAC Secretariat announced that key steps have been put in place before the launching of the political confederation which will focus on uniting the armed forces of the partner states through joint counter-terrorism operations and the creation of a joint civilian and Police task force from the partner states region to undertake joint peace support operations.
The EAC Summit also received a progress report on the pending launch of a single currency of the region by 2024, according to EAC Secretary-General, Liberat Mfumukeko.
“There is also considerable progress in the Political Federation pillar and the EAC has set the stage for the commencement of developing a constitution for the Political Confederation as a transitional model of the East African Political Federation,” Mfumukeko told the Summit.
Under the Monetary Union Pillar, programmes for harmonization of Capital Markets and Payment Systems are ongoing, the Secretary-General said.
The Community has harmonized critical policies necessary for a sustainable Monetary Union and remains firmly on course towards attaining a single currency by the year 2024, according to the progress report provided by the Secretary-General.
The East African Legislative Assembly recently enacted the East African Monetary Institute Bill, 2018, and the East African Statistics Bureau Bill, 2018, which are critical elements for the single currency plan.
Ahead of the Summit, the respective heads of state of the six member state regional body appeared to be at odds on a number of internal issues which may have caused the postponement of the Summit, originally planned to take place in Nov. 2018.
In Uganda, the Police recently expelled a Rwandan citizen, Annie Tabura, who worked at a major telecommunication firm in Kampala, and a French national, Olivier Prentout, saying the two were a threat to national security.
“The security agencies, in close coordination with the immigration officials, have been investigating the two foreign nationals working with leading mobile telecom company over their engagements in acts which compromise national security,” Polly Namaye, a Deputy Police Public Communication officer, said in a statement released on 22 Jan., 2019.
Rwandan officials allege that agents based in Kampala have been secretly targeting and eliminating Rwandan refugees living in Uganda while a senior Ugandan Police official was recently dragged to a military court martial accused of spying for Rwanda.
Burundi, which was represented at the EAC Summit by Gaston Sindimwo, its 1st Vice President, while President Pierre Nkurunziza has been accusing Rwanda of backing agents to topple the government in Bujumbura, the capital.
Burundi has also been at odds with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who was tasked with the effort of leading peace talks in the country after President Nkrunziza’s election for a controversial third term in office.
Analysts have been alarmed at the apparent cold war in the region, which comes amid growing efforts to radically integrate the region both politically and economically.
Kenya and Tanzania, on the other hand, have been at odds over trade differences.
Earlier, President Kenyatta said he was taking a message of unity and integration to the Arusha Summit. He hailed the regional body for implementing policies to integrate the region and ease movement of people and goods as well as people working and investing in the region.
According to President Kenyatta, the Summit was expected to address the issues related to skewed business opportunities and ensure equal business platforms for all.
“My agenda in Arusha is to ensure that our nations are united for the purpose of doing business together. We want to break the barriers preventing the people of the region from prospering,” Kenyatta said
Under the Customs Union Pillar, the implementation of the Single Customs Territory is in progress and coverage of goods cleared has been expanded to include all intra-regional trade within the Community.
Efforts to ease the movement of goods in the region have resulted in the drastic reduction of the period taken to clear goods from over 20 days to three or four days on the Central Corridor; and from 21 days to four days from Mombasa to Kampala and from 18 days to six days to Kigali, on the Northern highway Corridor passing through western Kenya from Mombasa, the port.
The EAC Secretariat said it was noteworthy that out of the 15 Borders earmarked to operate as One Stop Border Posts, 13 have been completed and are now operational. The One Stop Border Posts have reduced transit costs incurred in cross border movement by combining the activities of both country’s border organizations and agencies at a single location in each direction.
-0- PANA AO/VAO 1Feb2019
