The Heads of State of the member-states of the East African Community (EAC) have today assembled in Arusha, Tanzania to celebrate 25years since establishment.
Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, William Ruto of Kenya, and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia headed to Tanzania today, 29th November 2024 to celebrate the silver jubilee of the community since it’s reestablishment in 1999.
The community, originally started in 1967, broke down in 1977 due to both political and economic differences.
Then, it faced irreparable challenges, mainly the conflict of personality between Tanzania President Julius Nyerere and Uganda President Idi Amin.
Other issues like the ideological differences between Kenya’s capitalism and Tanzania’s socialism exacerbated by the cold war also catalysed the collapse.
Although ideological differences are less an issue today, the community has tremendous challenges in funding, terrorism, and regional wars. With some members accusing others of fanning instability and political interference.
Since the revival of the EAC in 1999, several countries have joined the original three (3) and now become eight (8). Rwanda joined the bloc in 2007 with Burundi, South Sudan in 2016, Democratic Republic of Congo in July 2022and Somalia in March 2024.
Today, the bloc boasts of a population of over 300m people and a GDP of over 313bn dollars.
It is because of this, that the Community the fete is themed around the promotion of trade, sustainable development, and peace and security for improved livelihoods in East Africa.
Uganda president Yoweri Museveni has consistently called for the unification of the region, in spite of the unfinished tasks in the customs union and the common market protocol.
Even the monetary union protocol signed in 2013 has been left to gather dust. It promised “groundwork for monetary union within 10 years and allows partner states to progressively converge their currencies into a single currency.”
As the community celebrates, all these remain a pipe dream.
Our ignorant chiefs!
Museveni didn’t miss the opportunity to scold the African ignorant chiefs of old in his communication to the summit, for looking on as the East African market went to waste, the reason the Europeans came to colonise it.
“Then they disconnected our Connected Trade Area and fragmented it among the British, Germans and Belgians. Now, what was a CTA (Connected Trade Area), became a DTA (Disconnected Trade Area)!”
He added;
“This was the fault of the chiefs. This definitely was the fault of the chiefs!”
“Vasco da Gama came to the East African coast in 1498. The Berlin conference that drew these borders happened in 1884-5. This is a whole 386yrs of our wonderful chiefs watching the danger coming, and doing nothing about it!”
The EAC at 25 fete is scheduled for five days.
