East African Community (EAC), Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) and Regional Development Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano has launched the national stakeholders’ consultation on the drafting of the constitution for the EAC political confederation. Similar public engagements have been conducted in Burundi and Uganda.
In May 2017 EAC Heads of State adopted the political confederation as a transitional model of the East African Political Federation.
Former Uganda Chief Justice Justice (Rtd) Dr Benjamin Odoki and Kenya’s former long-serving Attorney General Amos Wako, as his Vice Chair are leading a team of eminent constitutional experts.
The key areas of interest for the Experts will be around cooperation under the political confederation, the governing structure of the political confederation and modes of decision-making by the confederal authority.
Other areas of interest include governance principles of the confederation, the relationship between individual Partner States and the confederal authority, funding of the operations of the confederal authority, the mode of adoption of the constitution establishing the political confederation, and finally any other constitutional issues of concern to stakeholders.
CS Miano said during the launch in Mombasa that the founding fathers of the East African Community dreamt of a unitary community driven by the quest to pursue one destiny.
“Article 7 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community was therefore enacted to govern the pathway to institute a people-centred cooperation involving a wide range of stakeholders,’’ said CS Miano.
The national stakeholders’ consultations on the EAC Political Confederation according to the CS is a crucial engagement in EAC’s efforts towards promoting people’s participation which will in turn inform the policy decision to be made thereafter.
“This is an excellent way of enforcing the spirit of true ownership of the envisaged process and outcomes thereof,”she added.
CS Miano noted that since the revival of the EAC in 2000, great strides have been made in the implementation of various pillars of EAC integration.
“We now have in place the Customs Union Protocol, the EAC Common Market Protocol and the Monetary Union Protocol. Besides, the scaffolding of our Political Federation is thankfully taking shape apace.
We have made significant progress in our shared economic and social-cultural cooperation and productive and services sectors and more recently, we have enhanced cooperation in defence and interstate security,’’ elucidated the CS adding that the community has had its share of sobering lessons too.
The CS said a majority of the citizens are yet to acknowledge the status of the EAC integration and the potential opportunities available for them in the region.
“Awareness of the journey taken so far towards making the EAC Political Federation a reality remains largely unknown to many across the region,’’ she divulged.
Admittedly, the CS said the quest for the establishment of EAC’s political confederation has had challenges, fears, suspicions and mistrust.
She added: “the EAC summit of Heads of State heeded to expert advice and adopted Political Confederation as a stepping-stone towards building a Political Federation”.
The CS urged Kenyans to give their opinions and engage in healthy debates to make the process meaningful.
By Sadik Hassan
