Of President John Magufuli's no-show

NAIROBI: At the just concluded Tokyo International Conference on African Development, the absence of Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli was jarring. Yet this is not the first time the Tanzanian leader has failed to turn up in Nairobi to attend an international meeting in his one year in office.

Mr Magufuli, who has distinguished himself locally as a leader in a hurry to fix things, has skipped at least five international meetings including the World Trade Organisation conference in Nairobi and the Africa Union Summit in Addis Ababa. Though Kenya downplayed his absence at the August 27-28 meeting that saw more than 35 heads of state and Prime Ministers converge in Nairobi, it is not easy to answer the ‘why’ of it. Mr Magufuli’s no-shows naturally, does not bode well for regional integration and co-operation.

There is so much in common between Kenya and Tanzania. We share a common heritage bolstered by the Swahili language and a nearly homogeneous culture secured by the East African Community. Moreover, Tanzania is a long-time ally and Kenya’s second largest export market (after Uganda) soaking up nearly $500 million worth of goods each year. Good neighbourliness must therefore be brought to bear.

With Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya has almost 100 million people providing a huge market for goods and services. The last thing Kenya wants is a dissatisfied neighbour.

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John Pombe Magufuli