[UAH] East African community rocked by Kampala meeting that excluded two members
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The decision by three East African leaders to meet in Kampala in the absence of their two East African Community colleagues and announce major infrastructure projects and fast-tracking of the political federation agenda has left people wondering whether the bloc is falling apart.
Asked why Tanzania and Burundi were not at the meeting, President Museveni, flanked by Rwanda's Paul Kagame and Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta, answered that it was not shameful and that they would be briefed.
Indeed, it was not shameful and they will be briefed but that response didn't sound convincing at all, as it doesn't really explain why Dar es Salaam and Bujumbura couldn't come.
East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) member Dan Kidega is one of the people worried about the health of the community in light of the Kampala meeting that excluded Tanzania and Burundi.
Kidega says whereas the meeting's resolutions were in line with existing provisions, not having some members at the table kills the spirit of unity among member states.
"Some of the things that they agreed upon have already been discussed and considered at the EAC level but it perturbs me to hear that a tripartite arrangement is discussing the same. This is not in good faith," Kidega told The Observer.
The three heads of state, who met at State House Entebbe on Tuesday, signed a memorandum of understanding binding them to improve relations and enhance development among their countries.
They resolved to revamp the East African railways network and build one standard railway system connecting the three countries, clear non-tariff barriers by forming a customs territory, as well as set up two oil pipelines connecting the three states.
Besides, they agreed to invest in building an oil refinery in Uganda, improve accessibility and affordability of electricity in their countries, as well as invest in the exploration of renewable energy sources.
In addition, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda undertook to fast-track the East African Community in regard to achieving a political federation, as well as expediting an identity card for the people of East Africa.
Under Article 7(e) of the East African Treaty, the three states had a right to meet and take such decisions using the principle of flexibility, which allows for progression in cooperation among a sub-group of members, even if this happens at a different pace from the rest of the region.
"The meeting had the legal mandate to agree on issues if they feel that they are ready, and it is about setting the pace for the other members to catch up with the pace set by them," said Fred Mukasa Mbidde, another EALA representative.
Kidega concurred with the legal cover but maintained that the meeting was held in bad faith.
"They agreed to have a customs territory but it is very clear that at the EAC level they had already agreed to have a customs union. And, if they are interested in the union, they should have asked why this had failed to work, not just rushing to make other moves," Kidega said.
Doomed or boosted?
Whereas Kidega and Mbidde are optimistic that the infrastructural projects agreed on by the three heads of state can be achieved, they argue that for the meeting to discuss fast-tracking political federation without Burundi and Tanzania was a waste of time.
"These two are member states and a political federation cannot just be pushed without their involvement," said Kidega. Mbidde added that although the heads of state may be heavily interested in political federation, it requires the input of all stakeholders.
"Based on the different findings that have been carried out to establish the challenges that the process towards a political federation was finding, it was discovered that citizens as well as stakeholders of the five partner states have to be involved and consent to its formation," says Mbidde.
3 amigos: L-R: Rwanda's Paul Kagame, Uganda's Yoweri Museveni and Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta
In 2011, a team of experts released a report titled "Addressing the fears, concerns and challenges of the East African Federation".
According to the findings, concerns were raised about differences in land tenure systems of partner states and possible loss of land due to free movement of people and rights of establishment within the EAC partner states.
The report recommended the involvement of stakeholders in the process. The desire to fast-track the regional political federation endeavour is not new. East African Community leaders several years ago proposed a single president by 2013, and a commission was established to seek the views of East Africans about it.
While the move enjoyed significant support in Kenya and Uganda, Tanzanians were not very enthusiastic. Rwanda and Burundi had not yet joined.
Analysts say that Tanzania's cautious approach towards federation has left other leaders who prefer faster movement towards that goal, like Museveni, a little frustrated. Such frustration could explain why some member countries have decided to make a bold move and wait for the others to make up their mind.
Some members are also uncomfortable with Tanzania's perceived preference for the southern Africa bloc (SADC) to the EAC. Dr Philip Kasaija, a lecturer of international law and relations at Makerere University, believes a meeting like the one in Kampala creates disharmony in the path to a political federation.
"Whatever they are trying to do cannot be achieved because a political federation requires the concurrence of partner states," he said.
However, another analyst who didn't want to be named said it could well be the tonic that the community needed.
"When the member countries that were foot-dragging realise that others are marching on, it could hasten the process as they too jump onto the ship lest they get left behind," he said.
Why Tz missed
While President Museveni described the curious absence of the other two East African members as "not shameful", adding that they would be briefed accordingly, he didn't say why they were absent.
Kasaija believes that the "cold war" between Rwanda and Tanzania might have something to do with it.
"You cannot rule out the explanation that Tanzania missed because of its disagreement with Rwanda in their foreign relations," Kasaija says.
Following last month's call by Tanzania's Jakaya Kikwete at a meeting of heads of state from the Great Lakes Region in Addis Ababa, that Kigali should hold talks with Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), rebels fighting the Kigali government from bases inside DR Congo, relations between the two countries have hit a cool patch.
President Kagame referred to the comments as utter nonsense. Kikwete was asked to withdraw the remarks and apologise, but he has refused to do so. The FDLR is a sensitive issue in Kigali because of the former's role in the 1994 genocide, as well as its continued security threat to Rwanda.
The militia draws most of its members from the genocidaires, who participated in the 1994 mass killings. Kasaija was also quick to mention the impending visit by US President Barrack Obama, saying it could well be a factor too.
Obama is visiting Tanzania this week, and so Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda might have wanted to use the meeting to make the statement that the region has more important things to attend to.
"Why did they have to wait when he is visiting? Maybe if it was not deliberate, they should have waited when his tour is done," he said.
The US president's African tour that began this week has so far taken Obama to Senegal, with South Africa and Tanzania also lined up. According to regional commentator Charles Onyango-Obbo, Obama's choice of the three countries is based on their considerable respect for democracy and multiparty politics.
"They are all today multiparty democracies. Secondly, they have presidential term limits. Thirdly, they are corrupt yes, but certainly not among the worst in Africa. By and large, at least Ghana and Senegal hold fairly free elections in which the opposition has a fairly good shot at winning," Obbo argued in a newspaper column.
Commenting on the possible future of EAC without Tanzania, Kasaija argues that the latter does not lose anything from being locked out.
"Tanzania obviously has leverage over other countries because of its strategic location. It is not like Uganda and Rwanda which are in the cooperation because of their landlocked nature. It can move out anytime since it has access to the coast and after all it has SADC," Kasaija says.
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