THE LITTLE THINGS THAT EAST AFRICAN MEMBER STATES SHOULD BE SORTING OUT

By Jerry Okungu
Nairobi, Kenya
March 18, 2009

We keep on hearing the same complaints time and time again. That it takes unnecessarily long to transport goods from the port of Mombasa to Kigali and Bujumbura. Certainly the same delays are affecting goods transiting through Kenya to Uganda, Northern Tanzania, Southern Sudan and possibly the DRC.

This slow movement of goods across our borders does not come without a heavy price to pay. By the time Rwanda receives its imports from Mombasa, they are 40% dearer than their original purchase price. In effect, goods become more expensive for the citizens of Rwanda simply because of transport costs that could easily have been avoided.

Sometime last year, President Kibaki of Kenya made some bold policy declarations that we thought would be implemented immediately to deal with this kind of bottleneck. He declared that with immediate effect, there would be no police roadblocks except at border points. Along with this declaration, there would be fewer weigh bridges to allow transport cargo move faster. What this meant was that once a weighbridge was at the port of Mombasa; there would be another one in Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret and Kisumu for goods originating from those commercial centers to the rest of the East African region. Obviously there would be need for weighbridges at border posts to check the weight of tracks leaving and entering territories.

The other permanent problem is that of small traders crossing Kenya Tanzania borders. Whereas there are fewer problems between Ugandan and Kenyan authorities; there seems to be a permanent problem between Kenya and Tanzania. Whereas Tanzanians coming to Kenya can stay on for as long as six months with one travel permit; Kenyans can only be in Tanzania for 48hours! Why do we have to be subjected to these glaring discrepancies as East Africans? Why do some member states behave as if they are so special and so much in demand? Surely, even the most conceited nation on Earth, the United States has clear guidelines on how to enter that country. Once you have a valid visa, you are allowed multiple entries with each entry allowing for as long a six months.

Since independence, Kenya has had bilateral diplomatic arrangements with Ghana and Ethiopia where Kenyan nationals do not require visas to enter those countries. Once there, one is allowed to stay in the country for at least six months without harassment. This is also true of Ethiopians and Ghanaians coming to Kenya.

I remember in the mid 1990s when a civil war broke out in Ethiopia. Many Ethiopians including their national airline, Ethiopian Airlines, relocated to Nairobi for the entire period of the conflict. This is how neighbors should be behaving towards one another.

If the truth be told; most regional economic blocks are never built on perpetual age old mistrust. We must outgrow the animosities that separated Nyerere, Amin and Kenyatta. If we perpetuate those age old suspicions and distastes for one another, this generation will remain and die in the past. The only way to redeem ourselves is to truly accept the bitter truth that the East African integration dream will only come about if we make it easier and pleasurable for people, goods and services to traverse our borders without fear of unnecessary and uncalled for intimidation, extortion and bureaucratic bottlenecks.

Tanzania must grow up to appreciate that as the headquarters of the East African Community, its role must remain that of a mother figure to the rest of the region. It should be more receptive and accommodating than it is at present. Let it not be blinded by its perceived wealth and bully other states into uncalled for supplication.

As a member of the EAC, it must accord other member states their democratic space to also exercise their rights as they troop to Arusha for all sorts of meetings. More importantly, the Community is not the preserve of EAC official and government officials who enjoy diplomatic passes. Without the masses that are the subject of
harassment at our borders; there will be no East African Community to talk about.

Let us look at each member state ; no matter how small or big to appreciate their strengths, weaknesses and opportunities they can bring on the table without focusing so much on the potential threats they may pose to us. As a community, member states have the primary objective of nursing our diverse cultures, strengths and abundant wealth into one great nation. It is our desire to lift up the weak and the needy among us that will make us look great in the eyes of the world, not the converse.

jerryokungu@gmail.com