Regional institutions key to integration – EAC minister

The Minister for East African Community Affairs, Monique Mukaruliza, believes that the proposal to establish regional institutions will go a long way in realising the dream of a political federation.“If we can get, for example, an EAC schools’ curriculum, it would be ideal….The students would be unified as East Africans, not Rwandan or Kenyan or Ugandan, and it would remove any doubts people have in the integration process,” she said. She was responding to a recent proposal by a team of experts recommending more regional institutions as a means of deepening the integration process. Various reports indicate that as negotiations to establish a federation continue, East African citizens have not fully been sensitized on how the federation will work in their interest. The political federation is the fourth step in the bloc’s integration process after the ratification of the Customs Union and the Common Market while negotiations for the Monetary Union are currently underway.The minister added that more regional institutions would be significant in ushering a sense of togetherness among the citizens of member states turning the community into one country.However, the technical team recommended that citizens should be sensitised to appreciate that the federation would involve ceding some sovereignty as well as highlighting the benefits.A member of the technical team, Prof Anastase Shyaka, said that for the federation to be achieved, they proposed the gradual model of federation that requires the implementation of Customs Union and Common Market Protocol. He added that instead of implementing the already signed protocols, partner states were busy signing more, which he said would hinder the realisation of a federation.“It’s embarrassing, this is not a community of papers …we look at the Common Market as the heart for the political integration.“You cannot think of a federation when someone still goes to Kenya and feels he is Rwandan instead of an East African. Much emphasis should be put on implementing the existing protocols,” said Shyaka.He said that free movement of people, goods as well as services should be given priority as it’s the case in Europe.“In Europe you travel without finding any restrictions, why? They think as Europeans not nationals of one country,” added Shyaka, who has represented Rwanda in several EAC negotiations.However, though Europe has advanced in integration, they failed to have a political federation after failing to establish a common constitution. But Europe has removed all restrictions like borders to facilitate the free movement of people and services which is not the case with East Africa.Shyaka further observed that as long as the EAC Secretariat remains in its current status, instead of changing into a commission, the federation will not be achieved.“We need to transform the Secretariat into a strong commission with vibrant departments that will play a major role in implementing the regional projects because we need a federation that is interesting and strategically benefiting the community,” he said. Experts have always branded the Secretariat as lacking powers to implement the protocols or penalise members who do not adhere on the agreements.Dr Nicholas Charalambides, a senior consultant with Imani Development, an international consultancy firm, told The New Times that EAC partner states need to phase out the Arusha-based Secretariat and instead set up a commission that is built on the model of the EU commission.“In the European Union, if a partner state doesn’t do what was agreed upon, the commission will fine it, which is not in the case with EAC. What is the use of having laws without police? Where are the police in the EAC?” posed the expert.He blamed the difficulties currently experienced in the implementation of both the Customs Union and the Common Market to lack of mechanisms to enforce the protocols.The issue of implementation of the regional protocols has always been regarded as a hindrance to the full achievement of integration. Though the member states agreed on free movement of people, there remained challenges like trade barriers.For example, a traveller from Kigali going to Kenya or Tanzania has to go through the checks at the borders to verify their identities, meaning that countries still don’t trust citizens from fellow member states something that should have been cleared to facilitate the movement of people. The EAC Minister pointed out that the Secretary General of EAC, Amb Richard Sezibera, will present the draft on the proposed federation to the next Summit of Heads of State slated for next month.

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Regional institutions key to integration – EAC minister