SOUTH SUDAN, SOMALIA TO WAIT LONGER TO JOIN EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY

Somalia and South Sudan will have to wait longer to join the East African Community (EAC).

According to a communiqué after the 16th EAC Heads of State Summit that ended in Nairobi Friday, the earliest the two states can be admitted to the regional bloc is next year.

South Sudan’s bid to join the EAC has stumbled in the wake of the civil war that broke out pitting forces loyal to vice president Dr Riek Machar against those supporting President Salva Kiir Mayardit.

In the communiqué read at the end of the Summit, EAC secretary general Dr Richard Sezibera said the verification of Somalia’s request is yet to begin. The Summit directed the Council of Ministers to take appropriate action on the two matters.

“The Summit noted the revised roadmaps for the negotiations on the admission of the Republic of South Sudan to the East African Community and directed the Council to ensure the negotiations are conducted in accordance with the revised roadmaps,” Dr Sezibera read from the communiqué.

“The Summit noted that the verification exercise for the Republic of Somalia to the East African Community was not undertaken as preparations with the government of the Republic of Somalia have not yet been finalised. The Summit directed the Council to undertake the verification and report at the next Summit,” he added.

This means that the two countries will continue to miss out on the benefits enjoyed by their neighbours such as the single custom territory, the East African passport and collaboration on mega infrastructure projects such as the standard-gauge railway.

President Kiir attended the meeting as a guest with Tanzania’s president Jakaya Kikwete suggesting at the end that South Sudan would soon be a member of the EAC.

“Next time, President Salava Kiir will be a part of this,” said President Kikwete.

Resolutions

President Kikwete took over chairmanship of the EAC from President Uhuru Kenyatta. Presidents Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Pierre Nkurunziza (Burundi) and Yoweri Museveni (Uganda) also attended the Summit.

With the focus on creating a future political federation, the heads of state directed the Council of Ministers to finalise the national consultations on the model, structure, roadmap and action plan on drafting a Constitution on the same. The council was also directed to report on its progress by the next Summit next year.

The Summit decided that eminent persons’ panels and special envoys would be appointed whenever the need arose. They also signed the protocol to expand the jurisdiction of the East African Court of Justice to include trade and investment disputes as well as matters arising from the implementation of the East African Monetary Union.

The States will be required to ratify it and submit the necessary documentation to the secretary general by November 30, 2015.

There were also concerns that some of the decisions agreed to over the years are yet to be implemented by all the member states. Rwanda and Kenya are so far leading on that score, with Rwanda having implemented 75.5 per cent of the decisions and Kenya 75 per cent.

Tanzania has implemented 66 per cent while Uganda and Burundi have implemented slightly over half of the decisions made since 2001.

The East African