Residents want trade prioritized in confederation

Embu, Saturday May 20, 2023

K.N.A by Steve Gatheru

Residents of the Eastern Region of Kenya want the Committee drafting the Constitution of the proposed East African Confederation to give priority to conditions that will facilitate free trade and movement for the citizens of the member countries.

Speaking at an Embu hotel during a forum to collect the views of the region's residents, speaker after speaker said the Confederation should facilitate the free movement of goods and people across borders. 

 Mohamed Salim from Meru, said there should also be a harmonization of laws between member states. As an example, he said miraa, which is classified as a cash crop in Kenya and freely traded in Uganda, is illegal in Tanzania, attracting very stiff penalties.

Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Embu Branch Chairman, Mr Mugo Mate, said member countries should harmonize their taxation regimes to ease doing business.

He also said member countries need to ease their processes of acquiring necessary licenses and permits and also called for the introduction of a single identity document for all citizens.

The Chair of the Panel of Experts drafting the proposed Constitution, former Uganda Chief Justice, Benjamin Odoki, said the Panel has already heard views from Burundi, Uganda and now Kenya.

He said across all the countries citizens want the education systems harmonized, so that a citizen of the member countries can work anywhere in the confederation.

The Chair added that citizens also want minority and marginal groups included in the decision making processes.

Idi Mandi of Tanzania, who is the Rapporteur on the panel, said the views-collecting was a step in the journey towards the desired political federation for East Africa.

Kenya's Attorney General Emeritus Amos Wako, who is the Vice Chair of the panel, expressed happiness that Kenyans had come out in large numbers to express their views, which demonstrated their eagerness to join the confederation.  

Courtesy K.N.A