East African Community Headquarters April 14, 2009:Tanzania is questioning the powers of a key organ of the East African Community, forcing negotiators back to the drawing board in the search of a breakthrough towards a common market.
Tanzania’s posturing on the relevance of decisions made by the East African Council of Ministers is the latest of the country’s parting of ways with the other four members — Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi – on the future of the regional bloc.
The country has in the past raised concerns over the common market on the grounds that free movement of labour and goods and access to land by members of other states would destabilise its economy.
The questioning of the validity of the council’s decisions has left negotiators who had gone to Kampala hoping to clear most hurdles on the integration process looking at a long drawn out affair.
The EAC Secretariat said in a statement that Tanzania’s concerns stemmed from Article 87 and 88, which centred on regulations, directives and decisions as well as the conclusion of the relevant annexes.
“Tanzania maintains it is the partner states and not the council that should conclude regulations, directives and annexes to give full effect to the provisions of the common market protocol,” the secretariat said. Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, and Uganda’s have insisted that the role is the preserve of the council of ministers.
Tanzania also maintained that it would not budge on its earlier position regarding land and residency rights.
Msomaji
Arusha
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