The Common Market is the second phase of regional integration after the
Customs Union, which came into force in January 2005. The EA Common
Market Protocol was planned for ratification in June, this year, to
come into force next January. Although almost 95 per cent of the
92-Article draft Protocol was ready, some pertinent issues over land
ownership, residency rights and travel documents remained unresolved.
Tanzania – a believer of gradual integration to avoid the pitfalls
which led to the demise of the former EAC in 1977 – says that the land
ownership issue should not be part of the protocol at this stage. Each
member country has different land policies. In Tanzania people do not
own land; in Kenya large chunks of land are owned by individuals; in
Uganda land belongs to communal chiefs and the government; and in
Burundi and Rwanda the land system was unclear, a source familiar with the negotiations on the common market told the Daily News.
Tanzania has also differed over the proposal to replace the legal
travelling documents with IDs, which it argues could easily be forged
by cross border criminals to undermine regional peace and political
stability. The draft protocol entitles people who have lived for more
than five years in any partner state acquire permanent residency.
While Tanzania was concerned about these issues, Ugandan manufacturers
have expressed their worries over the low costs of production in Kenya
and Tanzania as being landlocked disadvantaged Uganda. The EAC leaders
would also consider the report of national consultations on fast
tracking the EA political federation in Rwanda and Burundi and EAC position on the proposed African Union (AU) government.
The Summit will not discuss the impending stand-off between Kenya and
Uganda over Migingo Island . This is a bilateral issue, Ambassador
Mwapachu said. The Summit is expected to appoint two new EAC deputy
secretaries general — Alloys Mutabingwa from Rwanda and Claude Jean
Nsengiyumva from Burundi and swear in Justice James Ogoola Munange (
Uganda ) as Judge of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ).
Meanwhile, the EAC leaders are also expected to witness the launching
of the about 240-kilometres Arusha-Namanga-Athi River road
construction. The road is 104.3kms in Tanzania and 135.7kms on the
Kenyan side and would cost some 200 million US dollars (about 260bn/-).
Presidents Jakaya Kikwete and Mwai Kibaki will officially cut the
ribbon to launch the project. The EAC Council of Ministers was meeting
yesterday to prepare agenda for tomorrow's Summit.
Daily News
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