As we move towards actualizing the EAC treaty and political federation, one thing seems to be ringing in my mind: the EAC has in a way actually ‘forgotten’ about Burundi. We hear very little about the steps our brothers from Burundi are making as they move to integrate into the EAC. ‘The East African’ weekly newspaper has ran an interesting column known as the ‘Integration Tracker’, which looks at strides that member countries are making on the integration journey. This page carries very little or none of Burundian efforts. So the lack of highlighting means that our brothers and sisters seem to be ‘stuck’ out in the cold. I can say that there are several factors that have caused this. First and foremost is the language barrier. Unlike Rwanda, which is bilingual, Burundi is Francophone. This means that Burundians will find it difficult to ascend to the Commonwealth way of doing things- where English is a language of business. For someone who has come to work in Rwanda I have noticed the sharp difference between the Francophone system of commerce and that of the Commonwealth we are used to back at home in Kenya. Glaring difference abound on several fronts such as dispensation of law and order, creation and sustenance of public institutions and other issues. It is only recently for instance that Rwanda embarked on creating some of the critical state institutions which are needed for the basic functioning of a working nation-state. These never used to be in existence during pre-Genocide Rwanda which was part of the Francophonie. Making the crossover will present Burundi with some particularly difficulties. Then there is what Prof.Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, a notable analyst, calls the ‘Zero Sum’ game; in effect the ‘life and death’ contest within Burundian political life. By this I mean that the perennial ethnically inclined political system in Burundi which has been responsible for so much blood letting serves as another deterrent to its integration to the EAC. Peace dividends are not likely to accrue to Burundians soon because this is a process that is bound to take time. Burundians have their fellow members to look up to for lessons when it comes to crafting their political future destiny and peace process. The million dollar question is whether there is the political will in Burundi to midwife a sustainable transition within the short run. ojiwah@gmail.com
