The slow implementation of the agreed-upon East African Community (EAC) protocols will be one of the main topics at a meeting of regional speakers which gets underway today in Kigali.Lately, there have been numerous calls for partner states to execute the existing protocols, namely the Common Market and Customs Union.The spirit in which these protocols were signed by the partner states was to encourage free movement of people, goods and services across the bloc. The focus on labour and trade is particularly relevant to EAC citizens.Unfortunately, most member states are yet to appreciate the benefits presented by the integration, at least in practice. Most of them are dragging their feet even on issues that have already been agreed upon.If the region is to genuinely tap into the opportunities and benefits of the EAC integration, with a market 134 million people, it is critical that individual member states recommit to the removal of non tariff barriers and to relax restrictions to free circulation of labour across the community.The regional assembly, EALA, as well as national parliaments, should actively push for expedited enforcement of the existing instruments that enhance integration. As representatives of the people, MPs need to ensure that the EAC benefits the ordinary person.Citizens, including professionals, traders and students should not be deprived of the socio-economic gains that come with the integration process.Publicly, EAC leaders have backed a citizen-centred community. Yet there is still a huge discrepancy between these promises and the actual actions on the ground.It’s high time leaders made EAC relevant to the people.
