President William Ruto on Thursday traveled to Zanzibar to meet Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu.
The meeting, the three Heads of State said was organised to discuss matters in the East African Community.
“Today, as leaders among the eight EAC partner states, we reaffirm our unwavering support for further regional integration and prosperity, focusing on fast-tracking the federation,” Ruto wrote on X.
Communication from Ikulu in Tanzania said that the presidents in the meeting agreed on the need to hasten the public participation exercise on the structure and areas to be considered in the Draft Constitution of the East African Community Political Federation.
The exercise has already been conducted in some East African countries including Kenya, Burundi and Uganda. It is being implemented by a team of experts composed of three delegates from each Member State.
The Political Federation, according to Museveni, will most certainly guarantee the prosperity of people through a larger market while also ensuring their strategic security.
Ruto noted that the meeting between the presidents coincided with the March 14, 1996 meeting of Presidents Daniel Arap Moi, Yoweri Museveni and Benjamin Mkapa which he said, laid the foundation for East African Cooperation.
“Reflecting on history, today as we gather in Zanzibar, it is remarkable that our meeting coincides with that of March 14, 1996,” he wrote.
The vision of the meeting, Ruto said, is to promote the unity of the communities in the three member states, to harness the economic benefits of creating a larger market, and the imperative of security for stability within the expanded Community.
The ultimate aim of the EAC’s regional integration process is the Political Federation. It represents the fourth step after the Customs Union, Common Market, and Monetary Union.
Article 5 (2) of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community provides for the idea of the Political Federation.
The Political Federation, if formed, will be founded on three pillars; common foreign and security policies, good governance and effective implementation.
In May 2017, the EAC Heads of State adopted the Political Confederation as a transitional model toward achieving the Political Federation.
Sectors under the Political Federation include International Relations (establishing common foreign and security policies) and Peace and Security (fostering a conducive atmosphere for social and economic development through cooperation and consultations on peace and security issues among Partner States)
Source: The Star
