Political Integration key agenda at heads of state meeting

East Africa enters the most decisive stage in its ambitious quest for a political union this week when the five heads of state launch the writing of a federal constitution and issue a time frame for establishment of a regional government.

Political integration, which is the top agenda for the 16th Ordinary EAC Heads of State Summit scheduled for November 30 in Nairobi, would pave the way for a strong authority to reinforce implementation of the other stages of integration the Common Market, the Monetary Union and the Customs Union.

The presidents of Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya Tanzania and Uganda are expected to make a final decision on what form political federation will take before the draft constitution is put in place.

The presidents of South Sudan and Somalia, who have applied to join EAC, will be watching the proceedings with interest.

Among the things that the EAC presidents are expected to decide on is whether the political federation is to be under a two-tier structure with a federal entity and constituent state governments or a one-tier structure.

Under a twotier arrangement, the federation would have a leader, with partner states sharing foreign policy, defence, currency, and economic and trade policies, even as they manage those domestic affairs that do not have a regional dimension.

The best example of a two tier system is the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which formed the United Republic of Tanzania. While Zanzibar has its own elected government, it has to operate under the Union government in terms of foreign policy and international relations.

The EAC countries have agreed that the presidency of the federation should be rotational, based on defined criteria, and that this should be the preserve of sitting presidents.

But this is where a major challenge lies, because the partner states have to decide whether the president will be elected through a collegiate system or universal suffrage. If it is rotational, then it may well turn out to be the responsibility of the partner state concerned to pick their person, just as happens with the EAC Secretary-General’s position.

Prof. Kagwanja from the University of Rwanda argued that a rotational presidency would not be an issue, because there is the precedent of the African Union, where the chairman who serves for one year is the legal spokesman of the continent.

He, however, noted that unlike the European Union, where the parliamentary system is given prominence with foreign ministers and specially elected MPs to the European parliament, the EAC is experimenting with the presidential system.

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has long advocated the fast-tracking of the political federation, emphasising that the region should not only be an economic bloc, but also a political one.

In his address last year as the chair of the EAC, President Museveni said that even if the economic integration were successful, there were certain issues that could not be addressed through economic integration alone. He said that it was not easy, for instance, to address the issue of common defense when you have different countries.

The EAC presidents will decide on whether all the five member states will join the federation at the same time or on the principle of variable geometry, which allows member countries to join the federation at different times and stages.

The EAC political federation is the fourth and last pillar of the EAC integration, which aims at integrating the people of the region in all aspects of life.

The Customs Union, Common Market Protocol and the Monetary Union, which was signed last year by the Heads of State, are under implementation.

However since its signing, only Rwanda and Tanzania have ratified the Monetary Union Protocol for implementation. Kenya, Uganda and Burundi are still in the process of ratifying it.