RUBAVU - All member states of the East African Community, but Tanzania, will soon allow the electronic national IDs to be used as travel documents, as part of the efforts to implement the Common Market Protocol.

The protocol, which is set to go into force July 1, aims at allowing free movement of goods, people, labour, services, capital, resettlement and establishment within the EAC member states.

This was announced over the weekend by EAC Minister, Monique Mukaruliza, during a peer review retreat for the justice sector. She revealed that the other member states have accepted to have machine-readable IDs like those in Rwanda.

"Some elements in the protocol will be implemented at a later stage, like adopting ID’s as travel document since some countries don’t have electronic ones but they have promised to have them as soon as possible,” Mukaruliza said.

She, however, hastened to add that Tanzania said it will not be in the programme, at least for now.

"Tanzania seems to be reluctant to allow free movement of people, residence and labour, they say they are still conscious of their security and have to control the movement,” Mukaruriza said.

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