Tanzania, Burundi concerned with 'isolation' in bloc

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(L-R) Tanzania EAC minister Samuel Sitta , Dr. Abdallah Kigoda (Trade and Industry), Bernard Membe (Foreign Affairs) and Joyce Mapunjo (EAC Permanent Secretary). PHOTO/Enock Kakande

By Cyprian Musoke

There was disagreement in the East African Community Council of Ministers Thursday over the way Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda were “fast-tracking” towards a political federation, monetary union and other projects, leaving out others.

In a heated closed meeting Thursday, Tanzania and Burundi took exception to their three counterparts forming a “coalition of the willing”, incorporating South Sudan to agree on a cross border railway and customs arrangements. South Sudan is yet to join.

The high level meeting at Imperial Royale Hotel was convened by EAC minister Shem Bageine to reach a consensus on a number of issues.

Bageine’s communication that he was set to hand over the chair to Kenya, and that 80% of the decisions in the report had been agreed upon, attracted questions from Tanzania’s EAC minister Samuel Sitta .

“The charter says the chair is on one year rotational basis. As far as we are concerned, Rwanda is the next chair. The rest of us don’t know about this arrangement of Kenya taking over,” he charged.

He castigated the “strange behaviour” of some countries, saying in the spirit of cooperation, Tanzania had deregistered 22 companies, which were not conforming to treaty provisions on customs.

“But we are concerned with the actions of Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. What we thought was a normal state visit by President Kenyatta to Uganda, [but] having reached there, it seems President Kagame was invited and they started this socalled ‘coalition of the willing’, which in itself is an insult to Tanzania,” Sitta said.

He said at the last meeting in Ethiopia, a side meeting of EAC was called, with the exclusion of Tanzania and Burundi.

“When my foreign affairs minister asked whether we were welcome, we were told no,” he said.

Burundi’s EAC minister Leontine Nzeyimana wondered what precedent was being set, given that Rwanda might want to regain its chair after Kenya again leading to more sidelining of other members, but Bageine said it would already have foregone its turn.

“I think you need to tell us the truth because we are duplicating processes by having parallel discussions. Why do we sit here together and agree on common decisions, but on the other side other meetings are going behind our backs?

“Are we, therefore, wasting our time on issues like the political federation on which others are ahead of us?” she asked.

At some point, the Tanzanian minister asked why Bageine was seated so quietly amidst the accusations like “a cat satisfied with the milk”, an accusation Uganda’s foreign affairs minister Sam Kutesa did not take lightly.

“That’s an insult to us, honourable minister.”

Sitta said: “Sorry, if it’s an insult, I withdraw it”.

Kutesa explained that the model the EAC was following was agreed upon at the 14th ordinary summit, which considered the road map to the federation.

The Kenyan delegation wondered why Sitta was hijacking the whole debate, when countries are allowed to agree among themselves and come up with joint positions even at summit level.

“When we agreed with Tanzania on promotion of joint tourism opportunities without other member states, why didn’t Uganda or Rwanda complain?” asked a member from Kenya.

Kutesa quipped: “We as Uganda are not in the EAC to search for jobs either as presidents of the federation or secretariat. If anybody is harbouring any such sentiments it is unfortunate. We have a right to discuss with any member on trade and infrastructure.”

This did not stop Sitta from continuing to wonder which model of political federation the three were fast-tracking towards.

“Everybody knows there is a two-track traction of the federation one of which includes a non-member South Sudan and the three member states. It will collapse if we don’t tell each other the truth.”

Tanzania, he added, is against fast-tracking the political federation because “we think it is a disaster with some people wanting to take over the leadership and tag their people along,” he said.

He also wondered where the Secretariat of the “coalition of the willing” was in order to hold talks with it. “It’s no use just inviting Tanzania and Burundi to the normal process when we don’t know what the coalition agreed upon last night,” he said.