EAC member states must support regional agenda

East African Community Secretary General Juma Mwapachu is set to retire. And, as expected, disquiet is emanating from Rwanda, over her turn for the Secretary General’s post.

Being a rotating post, this was to be expected.

What is worrying is that Kenya is also understood to be eyeing the same post, especially given the fact that it is the region’s economic powerhouse and that Rwanda is yet to make a major impact on EAC having joined it the other day.

Kenya held the post earlier. Still there is disquiet. And as members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) meet in Nairobi, it is important that some of these issues are discussed and agreed upon for the good of the region.

Already EALA accuses some member states of reluctance in enforcing the common market protocol that came into effect in June 2009. EALA also says some have been reluctant to enforce a number of laws that they passed, threatening to make EALA irrelevant. EALA says members are reluctant to agree to cede power to laws enacted by the Assembly.

From all indications, EALA is sensing some reluctance by the EAC member states in ceding their powers in favour of new laws and now they want the EAC members countries to come out and explain what they are doing.

EALA says this may be an indication that member states are not serious in fully integrating the region economically, socially and politically due to various vested interests. Could this be an indication of more serious issues affecting the regional economic bloc?

Stands to gain

It is emerging that Kenya, the region’s largest economy, is reluctant to join the proposed East Africa Monetary Union, which will herald a single currency. In essence, Kenya is saying it is not ready to go the full steam in as far as economic integration is concerned. As the region’s economic powerhouse, this is the worst signal Kenya should be sending as it stands to gain more with the integration than to lose.

It was, however, gratifying that President Kibaki reassured the EALA, Tuesday, that Kenya and other EAC member states would not backtrack on regional integration agenda.