Kenyans recommend use of EAC ID in Political Confederation

Kenyan citizens have recommended, among others, that the use of common EAC identification cards must take priority in the East African Community (EAC) Political Confederation that the regional bloc seeks to achieve, with a view to ensuring the free movement of people. This was one of the highlights of the press conference held Sunday, May 28, in Machakos County, Kenya, by EAC Secretary General, Peter Mathuki, after the conclusion of national consultations for drafting the Constitution for the EAC Political Confederation in the country. ALSO READ: Ruto urges EAC to fast-track constitution on political confederation Currently, East Africans use valid national passports to travel within the region or use the East African Passport, which was introduced as a travel document to ease border crossing for regional citizens. “They said they want to be using IDs, have a situation where they have national IDs, or ID that you can use to move from one country to another as opposed to having passports. And this is something already we have started in some countries; if you’re moving from Kenya to Uganda or Rwanda, you use a National ID. And this is something that is coming from the people,” Mathuki said. Presently, national ID cards are recognised as travel documents only by Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. In April, East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Fatuma Ndangiza, told The New Times that the fact that citizens from Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda can travel in the three countries using their ID cards as travel documents “is a good initiative, but it would be better if it is implemented across the entire region. Common EAC Ambassador, currency, security assurance During the May consultations, Kenyans recommended the elimination of borders to allow complete free movement, residency, and trade, and that the Confederation should create structures to deal with cross-border security and prevent crimes. “What the East Africans are saying is that they want to see a borderless East Africa, they want to be able to move one part of East Africa to the other without challenges, without impediments,” Mathuki said, indicating that is in line with enabling free movement of people. Other suggestions include achieving a common foreign policy, giving an example of having an EAC Ambassador for all foreign missions like the European Union (EU) has a common Ambassador. Also underscored was the realization of the EAC common currency to facilitate trade and deepen integration; and proposed clear levels of decision-making for the federation and national governments. ALSO READ: EALA MPs criticise extension of EAC monetary union deadline According to Mathuki, the development of the Constitution for the Political Confederation will provide a clear framework for the governance and operation of the Political Federation. The 18th ordinary EAC Summit in 2017 adopted the Political Confederation as a transitional model of the East African Political Federation and directed the Council of Ministers to constitute a team of constitutional experts to draft the Constitution for the Political Confederation. Talking about the Constitution, Mathuki said that “it will be people-centric, people giving their views on the East Africa we want.” “So, the purpose of this exercise [national consultations for drafting the constitution] is to involve the citizens of East Africa on the East African Community that they want,” he observed. Kenya is the third Partner State where national consultations on the Confederation were conducted, after Burundi in January 2020 and Uganda in April 2021. Next, the consultations will be held in the remaining four EAC countries; Tanzania, Rwanda, DR Congo and then South Sudan, Mathuki announced. On May 25, Kenyan President William Ruto urged the Committee of Experts tasked with drawing up the Constitution for the proposed EAC Political Confederation to fast-track the process, and have its first draft latest by the end of June 2024.

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Kenyans recommend use of EAC ID in Political Confederation