East Africa: How EAC Plans to Effect Human Rights, Anti Corruption, Democracy

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East African Business Week (Kampala)

OPINION
6 September 2008
Posted to the web 8 September 2008

Bobi Odiko

The East African Community is keen to see good governance instituted across the region. The EAC is to effect a good governance framework in the next few months as it bids to ensure Partner States adhere to the principles of the same.

The framework is for all purposes an excellent and timely idea. Among the props of the framework in a nutshell, are pillars on human rights, democratization and the rule of law, and anti-corruption.

A fifth mast on the envisaged framework is one on equal opportunities for all, which includes access to resources.

If this comes to fruition, the EAC shall have realised a major score in the ambitious integration process. The move will further strengthen and deepen the regional amalgamation process which is soon celebrating a decade in existence.

The areas in the framework are of importance to the region collectively as it desires to achieve millennium development goals and to assist the individual Partner States some of whom have development vision plans to achieve in the coming years, in realising their set objectives.

For the citizens of the region, the progress spells out the genuine seriousness of the EAC to strengthen and make the integration process viable to the citizens.

Only recently, President Paul Kagame in his capacity as the new Chair of the EAC Summit reaffirmed the need to marshal the collaborative effort of the Summit, all the organs and institutions of the Community, the broad spectrum of EAC stakeholders and the development partners to steer the region to a new era of greater efficiency and effectiveness.

According to a media dispatch from the Corporate and Communications Department of the EAC, the Chairman of the Summit committed to ensuring the EAC stays on path, when he met a high powered delegation of EAC Secretariat officials led by its Secretary General, Ambassador Juma Mwapachu in Kigali, on August 27, 2008.

A dynamic and challenging EAC that is open to opportunities, and that meets every EAC citizens in their individual and collective aspiration, and is self generating and supportive, is most vital. The EAC has a historical lineage that did not begin yesterday. Co-operation dates back to among other things, the construction of the Kenya- Uganda railway line in 1897-1901.

Several years later, the bloc moved ahead to institute the EAC Common Services Organizations, and eventually, the EAC Secretariat to control and administer matters of common interest via central legislation. The dissolution of the original Community over thirty years ago, therefore, dented the collaboration taking the region back in its quest towards unification and oneness.

Today, the new EAC remains determined to strengthen collaboration and cooperation between the Partner States. The entry of Rwanda and Burundi also reinforces the yearning of the region to expand its realm as it closes ranks once again and re-ignites the historic ties and bonds.

Implementation of the Customs Union, the Common Market as steps towards the more integral parts thereof, subsequently a Monetary Union and ultimately a Political Federation must be hailed, much as is that of putting in place measures of good governance. The scope of cooperation is wide fostering interests of the EAC citizens despite the numerous challenges in the integrative steps.

One hopes issues of human rights, corruption and democratization will be addressed, and that they shall get fair share of prominence in the dispensation. It is further anticipated that all stakeholders will fervently support the initiatives.

To remain relevant and competitive regionally and globally, EAC must plan for the future. It must chart a new road map - a road map that learns from our past failures, builds on our strengths and confronts the realities and challenges that we as a region face. Only at this point can we lay foundation for the present and future of the region.

The writer comments on socio-economic issues and is based in Arusha

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