Msitulazimishe.....every member state has thr right to preserve its identity and nationalism. Simply because kenya and uganda have a common language ( english) it does not mean tanzania must also speak english. Kenya has long been try to convience tanzania to behave the way the do, unfortunately Tanzania is a school of hard knox.Do you have an idea what a federation means? It means political, economic and social integration including a single currency. This is a pipe dream.
i) Tanzania is a dictatorship (Brutalizing opposition members,Arresting and jailing journalists if they do not report government narrative, suppression of free speech are all signs of a dictatorship, not democracy).
ii) A simple item like free movement of capital and labor forwarded by Kenya faced opposition from Tanzania at the eac, whose leaders were paranoid that Kenyans would take jobs and land from Tanzanians. It is the reason why only Uganda and Rwanda came on board on free movement of labor and capital without work permits.Tanzania and burundi refused to sign. This very same blind nationalism drove a schism to develop when major world organizations and companies decided to use Kenya as the hub of eac. What Tanzania did not forsee is that if movement of labor is allowed Tanzanians would be able to find well paying jobs in Kenya in the same companies setting up shop in Kenya.
iii) Tariffs and nontariff barriers: Tanzania has mastered the art of introducing barriers to trade, anytime it does not feel comfortable with a resolution. The main target is usually manufactured goods from Kenya. Tanzania also refused to discuss with Uganda on tariffs at the port of dar. Contrast that with how Kenya has dealt with Naivasha port issue. Uganda raised concerns and Kenya addressed the issues like a marshalling yard etc before it got to the eac secretariat and now Uganda and Kenya are reading from one script.
iv) Culture: The biggest obstacle is culture. Uganda and Kenya work well due to a long history of a common language (english), a long time private sector driven market. Ugandans are very aggressive in trade, a similar culture exists in Kenya.
v) Arrogance: During this pandemic Tanzania has shown itself to be a very arrogant partner in the eac. Calls by the current Chairperson of the eac (Kagame) to discuss on the way forward during this pandemic to discuss trade and movement, fell on deaf ears to the leaders of Tanzania and Burundi. Only Uganda,Kenya and Rwanda were always attending.
vi) Blind Nationalism: Here Tanzania is a culprit again always introducing reasons to block products from other eac countries to protect local industries that somehow never grow. A case study is how Kenya worked within Comesa framework to support the sugar industries, this is how countries engage in disputes not coming up with arbitrary rules that do not make sense.
vii) education: While Kenya and Uganda have a long history of cooperation in education, the same can not be said of Tanzania and burundi. Rwanda has come on board and now they have modelled their education system after Kenya and Uganda.
Now look at the above few reasons and think if a federation is possible in the next 50 years. This is the trend Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya try to move 2 steps forward but Tanzania and Burundi always find a way of pulling us back another 2 steps. Leaving only Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya as the only countries that really want to cooperate.
A typical definition of a Kenyan is someone who speaks at both sides of his mouth. We don't have problems with Ugandans although we fought in the past for obvious reasons. For now, Kenya enjoys a more democratic space compared to its counterparts, but this very paradigm has been shifting between Tz and Kenya. Coming to the kernel of the argument, it's true Kenyan Economy is doing fine as it can be exhibited by the strength of its currency. Going into federation is a hair splitting issue for Kenya , given it's economic position. At the same time, Kenya is looking for fresh areas beyond it's national boundaries to expand it's capital, this is where they think of Tanzania and the rest.
On the other hand, Tanzania is gradually gaining ground in the terms of its economic growth to the extent of making Kenya experience nightmares. Additionally, Tanzania is having an advantage of arable land which Kenya,is seriously panting for it.
Without mutual sacrifices ,which are no where nearby , the idea of federation is as good as dead.
I partly agree with you in the sense that Kenya has a high valued , the rest I am diametrically opposed to it. Kenya has industries more than the rest in East Africa, and the principle is ,shocks in the economy are more likely to be absorbed by industrialized economies as compared to economies that depend mainly on production of raw materials.Kenya has a high valued currency, but not excess capital! How can a is food insecure country have excess capital? Kenyans economy is very vulnerable to shocks same to Uganda,Rwanda and Burundi! Thats not the case with Tanzania!! Kenya is in state of collpase due to mismanagement, unlike its peers!! We dont have to bear the impactless GDP of Kenya in the name of Federation!
Hivi Tz na kenya wana bifu gani? Ktk east afrika na central, tz na kenya ndio ziko na muingiliano zaidi. Ni ndugu zaidi, ni kama kaka na dada. Ni watani wa jadi zaidi."The East African Community is as dead as a dodo", Kenya's Minister for Power and Communications, Isaac Omolo Okero, informed Parliament. This was in June of 1977.
At the time, relations between Community member-states, viz. Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya were - thanks to mistrust and bitter differences in economic and socio-political ideology - at their lowest.
"Orphaned" by the differences existing among member states, and amid an acrimonious scramble for its assets by those countries, the EAC was no more.
But to understand how the EAC found itself in this situation, it would help to go back much further in time.
At the end of World War 1, the Germans lost the territory of Tanganyika to Great Britain. The latter retained administrative dominion over other geographical entities, namely Zanzibar, the East Africa Protectorate (i.e. Kenya) and Uganda.
In order to effectively administer over this vast area, the British rationalised some institutions with the aim of establishing administrative mandate across the said territories. For example, the East Africa Court of Appeal became the apex court over all of East Africa.
As time went by, more and more institutions dealing with public service of one kind or another were set up. These were put under the direct supervision of a body called the East African Governors Conference.
The Conference met regularly, co-chaired by Governors accredited to the territories of East Africa by Britain.
Then there was another war – World War II.
After the war, the cash-strapped colonial government undertook regional rationalisation of the many public corporations and entities again. Examples of institutions included The East Africa Railways and Harbours Corporation (later, EA Harbours, headquartered in Dar es Salaam, was hived off). Court of Appeal for East Africa, the East African Development Bank, East Africa Posts and Telecommunications, Trypanosomiasis Research Organisation, among others.
All institutions so created were managed under a Secretariat called the East Africa High Commission. The Commission was again overseen jointly by the three Governors of Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika.
In 1948, the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA), which exists to this day, was established. It comprised of 32 members then. The work of the Assembly was to debate and approve the High Commission’s annual budget.
Meanwhile, as the 1960s approached, agitation for independence of East African nations increased. Citing the historic ties that existed among East African communities, Tanganyika’s leader Julius Nyerere in 1960 called for an East African federation. To demonstrate his seriousness, he offered to delay.
..... his country’s independence so Uganda, Kenya and Tanganyika could attain independence simultaneously.
Uganda did not see things in the way Nyerere did. To many of them, independence would be an opportunity for them to reaffirm the sovereignty of their Buganda monarchy.
Just before Kenya gained independence in 1963, Mzee Kenyatta invited Mwalimu Nyerere and Uganda’s leader, Milton Obote, to Nairobi for talks on the proposed East Africa Federation.
Many scholars believe Kenya’s leader Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was not quite supportive of a federation, but was feigning support for it as a way of testing London’s resolve to grant Kenya independence.
Nonetheless, a statement released after talks by the leaders read (partly) as follows:
“We, the leaders of the people and governments of East Africa, assembled in Nairobi on June 5, 1963, pledge ourselves to the political federation of East Africa, we believe that East African Federation can be a practical step towards the goal of Panafrican unity….”
The leaders also set a target of end of December 1963 as the date by when they would put in place the necessary legal infrastructure for the establishment of a political federation. Indeed, a Committee was formed to prepare the proposed Federation’s draft Constitution.
However, by early 1964, negotiations over the Constitution collapsed. The blame was laid on matters that many considered trivial. For example, Tanzania and Kenya disagreed on the powers and structure of the proposed EA Central Bank.
Kenya was also seen as a partner that disproportionately had industrial advantage over the other two countries. It is noteworthy that by 1964 the country accounted for 70% of the value of goods manufactured in East Africa.
When in 1965 President Jomo Kenyatta declined to sign the Mbale Agreement, an affirmative action move intended to protect industries of the other two weaker economies, Tanzania immediately imposed tariffs on some Kenyan goods.
Confusion reigned.
In a bid to forestall the region’s disintegration, a Commission was formed in 1965 to look into the grievances of Uganda and Tanzania.
The Commission was chaired by former Danish Finance Minister Kjeld Phillip. In Arusha in June of 1967, the Phillip Commission’s recommendations were adopted. They inter alia proposed the establishment of an economic community – the East Africa Community. There was no reference made to a political federation.
The East Africa Development Bank, the Commission further proposed, would offer compensation to Uganda and Tanzania for keeping their markets open to Kenyan goods. Moreover, all public services that existed e.g. EA Airways, EA Railways and Harbours, etc would be placed.
... under the management of the EAC Secretariat.
In 1971, just when the nascent EAC was riding on the wave of this new-found rapprochement, there was a coup in Uganda.
The military in Uganda under General Idi Amin took over the reins in Kampala. Senior officials who served in the Ugandan government, including Obote himself, were granted safe asylum by Nyerere.
Inevitably, relations between Kampala and Dar es Salaam soured. Amin accused Nyerere of harbouring Uganda’s enemies. On his part, Nyerere vowed that he would never sit on the same table with Amin.
This new hostility created a challenge. The three East African presidents, who were jointly the highest decision-making body (East African Authority they called it), did not meet at all as EAC leaders.
....between 1971 – which is when Amin became military ruler of Uganda - and 1977, in effect turning the Community to a rudder-less ship in the high seas.
Relations between capitalist Kenya and socialist Tanzania also turned cold in 1974 when Dar not only nationalized some of the EAC’s assets, but also unilaterally imposed tariffs on Kenyan goods. Nyerere also ordered the closure of the border with Kenya.
It remained closed – at least officially - for nearly a decade.
It was during this time that Nyerere is reported to have accused Kenya of being a “man-eat-man society”. Kenya’s Attorney-General at the time, Charles Njonjo, shot back, terming Tanzania a “man-eat-nothing society”.
In October of 1978, which was just weeks after Amin and Nyerere had attended Mzee Kenyatta’s funeral in Nairobi, the Ugandan strongman ordered his troops to invade Tanzania’s Kagera border region.
Amin hoped to teach Ugandan rebels holed up in Tanzania a lesson. But the Tanzanian army responded strongly to the invasion. By April of 1979, Tanzanian troops had overran Uganda, toppling Amin in the process.
By around this time, the EAC was akin to an unkempt palace looted and left derelict by its former owners. Not even mediation efforts by William Demas, a Trinidadian former Secretary General of the Caribbean Community – CARICOM – could secure any hopes of a revival.
The last nail on the coffin was when Kenya impounded assets of the East African Airways and created its own national airline, Kenya Airways.
In conclusion, it is worth pointing out that a number of countries in the region actually applied to join the EAC. These were Zambia, Ethiopia, Burundi and Somalia.
Things were so bad in the Community that Nyerere, Kenyatta and Obote/Amin never found occasion to review and endorse applications by the said countries.
Side note : In 1976 Europe come to EAC to benchmark on integration
Looking back in time, do you think history will repeat itself on the EAC?
Answer IAfrika: Yes, if we don't adopt the East Africa Federation that we were to adopt on June 5 1963.
Credits: "The East African Community is as dead as a dodo", Kenya's Minister for Power and Communication
With that ideal in mind Keny should be the most resilient economy in East Africa!! Something which is not. Tanzanian are not good in corporate deals, and are not as aggressive as Kenyans are, but have a very resilient economy and an inclusive one!! In the Federation Kenyans will be the one to benifit more because they are needy compared to their patriots!! BUT MIND YOU WITH THIS TREND TANZANIA ECONOMY WILL BE THE STRONGEST AND MOST RESILIENT (not necessarily the highest GDP)ONE IN 10 yrs to comeI partly agree with you in the sense that Kenya has a high valued , the rest I am diametrically opposed to it. Kenya has industries more than the rest in East Africa, and the principle is ,shocks in the economy are more likely to be absorbed by industrialized economies as compared to economies that depend mainly on production of raw materials.
As usual . .. next 10 years. Its always the next 10 years . I was told the same in 2010 that Tz will beat kenya by 2020 , now you have moved the goal post to 2030. Check imf and word bank data on their projections. We are soon going to double your economy if things go as they are .With that ideal in mind Keny should be the most resilient economy in East Africa!! Something which is not. Tanzanian are not good in corporate deals, and are not as aggressive as Kenyans are, but have a very resilient economy and an inclusive one!! In the Federation Kenyans will be the one to benifit more because they are needy compared to their patriots!! BUT MIND YOU WITH THIS TREND TANZANIA ECONOMY WILL BE THE STRONGEST AND MOST RESILIENT (not necessarily the highest GDP)ONE IN 10 yrs to come
In terms of GDP you can even triple ours!! But in resiliency and impacting lives our GDP is the best. Our GDP can stretch thrice(Purchasing power parity) yours cant even strech twice!! Mind you we dont have to compete among ourselves as nations rather we should work for the majority citizen!! Kenyans compete, Tanzanians work for majority!! That where our resiliency isAs usual . .. next 10 years. Its always the next 10 years . I was told the same in 2010 that Tz will beat kenya by 2020 , now you have moved the goal post to 2030. Check imf and word bank data on their projections. We are soon going to double your economy if things go as they are .
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Hida wakenya ni manyang'au!Hivi Tz na kenya wana bifu gani? Ktk east afrika na central, tz na kenya ndio ziko na muingiliano zaidi. Ni ndugu zaidi, ni kama kaka na dada. Ni watani wa jadi zaidi.
Kunapokua na mtz, mkenya, mganda, mrwanda, mrundi etc... mtz na mkenya wata elewana zaidi na sio sababu ya lugha bali utamaduni kwa kiasi fulani unaingiliana zaidi kuliko nchi zingine... haya mabishano ya mitandaoni ndio utani wenyewe.
Being an optimist is not bad and in fact we need optimists to provide some check on realists, but I hold one major concern.
states act on self interest. states live in a hobbesian world of all against all in the state of nature, without much in terms of mutual interest. Given that this is the case, How pray do tell, will the quite divergent interests of Tanzania and Kenya be reconciled when we can not agree on something as simple as free movement of capital and labor without tariffs and non tariff barriers? Kenya proposed free movement of capital and labor without work permits and Tanzania rejected that proposal.
Kenya proposed that east africa citizens should be able to buy land anywhere in east africa without inhibition and Tanzania rejected that proposal too.