Following the recent signing of the Inter-University bill by Partner States of the East African Community (EAC), all universities in the five-member States should charge uniform fees, the Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers, Monique Mukaruliza, has urged.

However the decision should only be implemented after legislation and ratification of the bill and protocol has been done by member States.

"Both the Common Market protocol and the inter-university bill provides for non-discriminatory treatment for members of the community. When the Common Market is implemented and the inter-university bill ratified there will be no discrimination in all areas including University fees,” said Mukaruliza addressing a Press Briefing on Tuesday on the commencement of the Third Meeting of the second East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) in Kampala.

"Students from member States of the community should be treated with the same conditions. They should pay uniform fees without discrimination,” she added.

In an interview with The New Times, Mukaruliza observed that with the principle of regional integration, priority should be given to harmonization of laws though this has been largely ignored by the community, hence making it difficult to implement adopted joint programmes and projects. 

"Harmonization of laws within the community has been largely ignored in the community yet we need to have legislation in place to implement all our joint programmes. Most joint programmes are not operational due to absence of legislation,” she said, citing the provision for harmonization of fees stipulated in the Inter-University Bill for East Africa. 

"But if the sectoral committee on education endorses the idea, we can have it implemented without ratification,” the minister noted.

She added that under a bilateral understanding between Rwanda and Kenya, Rwandan students in Kenya are paying the same fees with Kenyan nationals.

However, Mukaruliza pointed out that University Students from the Community may pay uniform fees in 2010 if the Common Market protocol is signed as it provides for harmonization of policies in all sectors including Education.

The issue of charging standard University Fees comes under the backdrop of about 7,000 Kenyan students at Uganda’s Makerere University staging a strike in November over high discriminatory fees charged by the academic institution.

According to the Kenyan students studying at the University, Makerere is not implementing an agreement signed by the EAC Council of Ministers over harmonization of university fees in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania that was adopted by the Inter-University Council for East Africa. 

Ends