Roundup of Recent East Africa Federation News — April 17, 2023 Edition

3 min readApr 17, 2023

1. Stakeholder consultations for political federation resuming in Kenya

More consultations: National consultations for drafting the EAF Constitution are set to resume in Kenya. The constitutional experts group is holding consultations with stakeholders across all countries in the next two years. Previous consultations were held in Burundi and Uganda. They have also developed a theoretical framework for a political confederation.
Integration pillars progress: Dr. Mathuki, Secretary General of EAC, noted that significant progress has been made for the Common Market, Customs Union and Monetary Union.
Transitional approach: Of note, the current proposal is a Political Confederation, which would be a transitional set up before the formation of the East African Federation.

March 29th: Uganda deploys 1,000 troops to eastern Congo — AA, The EastAfrican
April 9th: New hope as Kenya, Rwanda back local political solution in DRC conflict — The EastAfrican
April 13th: East Africa: Uhuru Calls for Backing EAC Regional Force in Congo to Aid Nairobi-Led Mediation — allAfrica
April 14th: Kenyatta meets UN envoy, urges confidence in DRC peace process — The EastAfrican
April 14th: UPDF assures civilians in DR Congo of stable security — Monitor
April 14th: President Tshisekedi rules out dialogue with M23 — The Independent
April 15th: DR Congo: Tension as Rebels Attack Kenya, Burundi Forces — Chimp Reports

What they’re saying:
— President Ndayishimiye: EALA must work to address factors hampering construction of a larger EAC internal market; EALA must find money to fully fund its committee; EAC and delegations must work harder to publicize EAC to their citizenry.
— EALA Speaker Joseph Ntakirutimana: Lauded Burundi for its leadership, particularly in supporting peace missions
— Chairperson Council of Ministers Ezechiel Nibigiri: EALA presence in Burundi provides opportunity to publicize EAC’s work to the people of Burundi
What they’ll be working on:
— Revising the 2001 Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community
— One possible revision: including Kiswahili and French as official languages of EAC
— Granting EALA administrative and financial autonomy by fully implementing the EALA Administrative Act

IMF | April 14th, 2023

East Africa projected to fare better: Abebe Aemro Selassie (Director of the African Department): “Some countries, particularly those in the East African Community, or non-oil resource intensive countries, are expected to fare better…”
Public debt is high: Nevertheless, debt remains a concern for East Africa — general gross debt of the seven countries averages 50% of GDP.

The Citizen | April 11, 2023

A 2024 target: The EAC Monetary Union protocol was signed in late 2013, with a ten year implementation target.
Significantly delayed: Now, the target for delivery is 2031.
A major lift: This integration pillar requires harmonization of monetary and fiscal policies, financial, payment and settlement systems, and standards for financial accounting and reporting. The single currency will require the establishment of the East African Central Bank.
Concern about the shifting timeline: Abdhullah Hasnu Makame, a Tanzanian MP, wondered why the timeline has been changing without clear reasons, saying he wasn’t convinced the delays are justified and noting it might be due to lack of political support by partner countries.

Monitor | April 12, 2023

New e-passports: Uganda has introduced a new version of its electronic passport.
Not the only recent change: To comply with an EAC directive, the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration control issued an electronic passport a year ago. Now, they’re issuing a new one.
An unnecessary burden? Some are questioning why a new version of the passport was issued so quickly, and concerned with the burden — however, replacement does not appear mandatory.