Geza Ulole
JF-Expert Member
- Oct 31, 2009
- 65,136
- 91,917
On his most recent Globertrotting tour, President Kenyatta paid a state visit President Nyusi of Mozambique. According to the official state communiqué from the GoK, a number of issues were agreed upon as far as signed bilateral agreements between these two states are concerned.
Forget that flawed, not fit to be called bilateral agreement but desperate buttlicking since unreciprocated visa free travelling permission by Kenya to Mozambicans, this review, has specifically chosen to discuss the impact of two i.e gas and coal to the larger envisioned common market for the EAC member states i.e. coal and gas.
It has to be known the EAC member states have been of late embroiled in serious interstate trade disputes where the main belligerents have been betwen Kenya and the rest of the member states. Be it a ban on sugar, maize n chicken imports from Uganda, a ban on gas n wheat from Tanzania, a a ban of second hand clothes to the region, Kenya stands out as a common economic agressor if not a sellout to the common agenda.
As the main reason for Kenya's acts towards regional trade, cushioning her economic interests from unfair trade practices from other members states has been their point of contention as a defence of their protectionism comes to light.
Of late industrial sweetener has again put Kenya at cross swords against Uganda and Tanzania. The EAC member states agreed to make the region sugar independent and to drive investments had to limit importation, therefore introduced a common tarrif to sugar from outside the block.
But unfortunately contrary to the common agreement, Kenya saw a dishonest opportunity to violate the agreement by lowering the set tarrifs for imported industrial sugar for her confectioneries that received stamps from KRA as conforming to rule of originality. This led to Tanzania and Uganda introducing a 25% tarrif to confectionery products from Kenya.
This latest trade wrangle is a culmination of a series of episodes that Kenya has been found to violate in her attempt to maintain the status quo as far as regional dominance on trade is concerned but via an attempt to cheat on regional accepted fair trade practices.
After a retaliatory response by TRA on perishable dairy products from Kenya on the eve of a ban wheat flour and gas consignment from Tanzania on flimsy excuses, Kenya backed down for a moment but a sign of all is not well remained with Kenya.
The recent trade agreements in Maputo can testify to that as Kenya, in an attempt to fight Tanzanian gas dealers that are at the moment dominating the gas and coal importation in Kenya. To tilt the balance, a defeated Kenya from Tanzanian importers unceremoniously chose to import the two products from Mozambique. It has to be noticed aside heating and steel production purposes, coal is a key ingredient for cement production.
One should ask whether this jittery and selfish attitude approach to scuttle regional trade helps Kenya at all on her wrong pursuits to maintain her dominance. After a loss to a bid to host the East African Crude Oil pipeline (EACOP) to Tanzania, Kenya chose to go solo and construction the pipeline in regardless of the agreements put before for a winner takes all to one regional pipeline.
One should also ask oneself, where does Kenya derive that boldness to boycott regional initiatives? It could be as a result of that selfish nature, Kenya finds nothing unusual as far as attempts to sabotage the implementation of regional projects and the overall common market agenda. For that case, it has probably not come to her attention how the rest of member states have quietly chose to stay united and align themselves to pursue regional projects sans Kenya.
And coincidentally enough, the recent resources boom is happening outside Kenya otherwise a collapse number two of the EAC would have been already ensured if were to happen in Kenya. Take an example of the election year 2015 attempt to ban Tanzania's tour vans from accessing JKIA on an trying to force Tanzania allowing Kenya's tour vans entering her ecological protected reserves free of charge.
My fingers are crossed right now to see how the gas and coal agreements between Mozambique and Kenya pan out as still the location of Tanzania is an uncomparable advantage to any competition outside region as far as fair trade practices stated in common market protocols are observed. It has to be remembered Qatar signed such a deal with Kenya before and fumbled. While the current regional infrastructure projects are vivid testimonials to bloated scheming attempts by Kenya to the region contrary to the expectations.
On the other hand, I wait to see how other regional member states will respond to this never ending Kenya's hullabaloo cum no brainer shenanigans intending to undermine the East African common markets protocols as a repeat of COW will be a disaster to Kenya's economic repertoire.
nomasana, sam999, NairobiWalker, hbuyosh, msemakweli, simplemind, Kimweri, Bulldog, MK254, Kafrican,Ngongo, Ab_Titchaz, mtanganyika mpya, JokaKuu, Ngongo, Askari Kanzu, Dhuks, Yule-Msee, waltham, Mzee, mombasite gabriel, Juakali1980, Boda254, mwaswast, MwendaOmo, Iconoclastes, oneflash, Kambalanick, 1 Africa, saadeque, burukenge, nyangau mkenya, Teen-Upperhill Nairobi, kadoda11
Forget that flawed, not fit to be called bilateral agreement but desperate buttlicking since unreciprocated visa free travelling permission by Kenya to Mozambicans, this review, has specifically chosen to discuss the impact of two i.e gas and coal to the larger envisioned common market for the EAC member states i.e. coal and gas.
It has to be known the EAC member states have been of late embroiled in serious interstate trade disputes where the main belligerents have been betwen Kenya and the rest of the member states. Be it a ban on sugar, maize n chicken imports from Uganda, a ban on gas n wheat from Tanzania, a a ban of second hand clothes to the region, Kenya stands out as a common economic agressor if not a sellout to the common agenda.
As the main reason for Kenya's acts towards regional trade, cushioning her economic interests from unfair trade practices from other members states has been their point of contention as a defence of their protectionism comes to light.
Of late industrial sweetener has again put Kenya at cross swords against Uganda and Tanzania. The EAC member states agreed to make the region sugar independent and to drive investments had to limit importation, therefore introduced a common tarrif to sugar from outside the block.
But unfortunately contrary to the common agreement, Kenya saw a dishonest opportunity to violate the agreement by lowering the set tarrifs for imported industrial sugar for her confectioneries that received stamps from KRA as conforming to rule of originality. This led to Tanzania and Uganda introducing a 25% tarrif to confectionery products from Kenya.
This latest trade wrangle is a culmination of a series of episodes that Kenya has been found to violate in her attempt to maintain the status quo as far as regional dominance on trade is concerned but via an attempt to cheat on regional accepted fair trade practices.
After a retaliatory response by TRA on perishable dairy products from Kenya on the eve of a ban wheat flour and gas consignment from Tanzania on flimsy excuses, Kenya backed down for a moment but a sign of all is not well remained with Kenya.
The recent trade agreements in Maputo can testify to that as Kenya, in an attempt to fight Tanzanian gas dealers that are at the moment dominating the gas and coal importation in Kenya. To tilt the balance, a defeated Kenya from Tanzanian importers unceremoniously chose to import the two products from Mozambique. It has to be noticed aside heating and steel production purposes, coal is a key ingredient for cement production.
One should ask whether this jittery and selfish attitude approach to scuttle regional trade helps Kenya at all on her wrong pursuits to maintain her dominance. After a loss to a bid to host the East African Crude Oil pipeline (EACOP) to Tanzania, Kenya chose to go solo and construction the pipeline in regardless of the agreements put before for a winner takes all to one regional pipeline.
One should also ask oneself, where does Kenya derive that boldness to boycott regional initiatives? It could be as a result of that selfish nature, Kenya finds nothing unusual as far as attempts to sabotage the implementation of regional projects and the overall common market agenda. For that case, it has probably not come to her attention how the rest of member states have quietly chose to stay united and align themselves to pursue regional projects sans Kenya.
And coincidentally enough, the recent resources boom is happening outside Kenya otherwise a collapse number two of the EAC would have been already ensured if were to happen in Kenya. Take an example of the election year 2015 attempt to ban Tanzania's tour vans from accessing JKIA on an trying to force Tanzania allowing Kenya's tour vans entering her ecological protected reserves free of charge.
My fingers are crossed right now to see how the gas and coal agreements between Mozambique and Kenya pan out as still the location of Tanzania is an uncomparable advantage to any competition outside region as far as fair trade practices stated in common market protocols are observed. It has to be remembered Qatar signed such a deal with Kenya before and fumbled. While the current regional infrastructure projects are vivid testimonials to bloated scheming attempts by Kenya to the region contrary to the expectations.
On the other hand, I wait to see how other regional member states will respond to this never ending Kenya's hullabaloo cum no brainer shenanigans intending to undermine the East African common markets protocols as a repeat of COW will be a disaster to Kenya's economic repertoire.
nomasana, sam999, NairobiWalker, hbuyosh, msemakweli, simplemind, Kimweri, Bulldog, MK254, Kafrican,Ngongo, Ab_Titchaz, mtanganyika mpya, JokaKuu, Ngongo, Askari Kanzu, Dhuks, Yule-Msee, waltham, Mzee, mombasite gabriel, Juakali1980, Boda254, mwaswast, MwendaOmo, Iconoclastes, oneflash, Kambalanick, 1 Africa, saadeque, burukenge, nyangau mkenya, Teen-Upperhill Nairobi, kadoda11
