Challenge for EAC is that all politics is local

In the capital of Kenya, Nairobi, the big story was of course the tragic news of a fuel pipeline fire accident that consumed the soul of one of the city’s biggest slums, Sinai. The slum happens to be in the vicinity of a major oil pipeline from the Lunga Lunga fuel depot. The pipeline run by the Kenya Pipeline Company has been encroached on by the slum dwellers to the point where some were literally living on top of the line! On the fateful day, an oil leakage was noticed by some slum dwellers who decided to take advantage of the sky high fuel prices to scoop free petrol. At the end of the day, the spillage went ablaze and by the time of writing this, over 97 people had been confirmed dead. This shocking piece of news effectively dwarfed the news about the first ever meeting that brought together political parties from all the East African Community (EAC) member states in Nairobi. At the end of the meeting, one of the key observations was that partner states needed to cede some power before the EAC project can take off. The participants at the meetings also talked about the need for political parties to always integrate EAC federation plans in their political manifestos. In essence the message being fostered by this meeting was a call for politicians to sing the EAC song. This in itself is a very noble idea that I would love to support but since I am a realist, I will be straight with you. It is nothing short of placing the proverbial pearls before swine. Any one who has followed my writings each week should know that I am pro EAC. However, I have also mentioned on several occasions that I am not supportive of the endless meetings and summits being held in the name of the EAC. This particular meeting confirms my fears and begs the question, of what value is the EAC to our politicians? Well at the top level, our leaders particularly Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame have done their bit to champion the idea of the EAC and the need for the community to integrate as fast as possible. Museveni being the only serving leader of the trio that restarted efforts to revive the community he feels obliged to offer elderly guidance to the process of integration. On the other hand, Pres. Kagame seems to have understood clearly the benefits of the EAC to Rwanda in particular and the community in general. Rwanda is landlocked and in transition from a failed state due to the devastation of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis. This partly explains his zeal for the EAC project. The dilemma in all this is that apart from our leaders who seem to fully understand the benefits of integrating, the average East African politician is least concerned about the EAC. And you cannot blame them much, especially if you understand the adage, “All politics is local.” Many East African politicians only focus on local politics and have no time for the EAC. They are more concerned with consolidating their influence on local turf than extend beyond the borders of their country. I know many will spare a paragraph or even a chapter in their manifestos to talk about how wonderful the EAC idea is. Living to such declarations may instead seem the hard part. Uganda’s opposition leaders will preoccupy themselves with issues like saving Mabira Forest as a local issue yet in the actual sense, the forest benefits the whole region’s eco system and biodiversity. The politicians in Kenya would rather spend time expanding their influence in the Nyanza area for Raila Odinga or the Rift valley for William Ruto. To ask a politician like Uhuru Kenyatta who is more concerned about his impending ICC trial to champion the EAC project could be asking a little too much. This is why at the end of the day I agree with the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) member, Connie Bwiza who told the meeting that if the political federation concept is to come to fruition it should be taken to the grassroots for internalisation. In other words the best chance for political federation is if we can sell the idea to the wananchi and allow them to own the process instead of trusting politicians who are often simply looking out for the next general election. Remember all politics is local. ssenyonga@gmail.comBlog: www.ssenyonga.wordpress.comTwitter: @ssojo81