EAC stresses: Transition period for Customs Union to end 2012

Deputy Secretary General (Political federation), Beatrice Kirao

The East African Community has said in a statement that Custom Union, which is the entry point of the Community and under implemention since January 2005 will have its transition period ended by 2012.

Deputy Secretary General (Political federation), Beatrice Kirao, said in a statement yesterday that when the transition period is over, all goods in the region will be traded at zero tax.

Kirao said that affirmative action given to Uganda and Tanzania during the negotiations of the Custom Union Protocol, due to higher economic development level and industrialization of Kenya will also be over.

She noted, however, that although the treaty prescribes time frame for Custom Union, it is silent on other stages of the integration.

`Depending on how enthusiastic the EAC decision making organs and probably the secretariat are, the other stages could take any time from sooner to forever,` she cautioned.

Common Market is targeted for 2010, and Monetary Union for 2012 before EAC moves to the final and ultimate stage of political federation.

Political federation, which occurs when two or more States come together to form a super state under a single political authority, is already provided for by the treaty.

`The people of the three East African states who participated in the National Consultations on Fast Tracking the federation overwhelmingly supported East African Political Federation. There are others who required seeing some of the concerns addressed before the region embarks on the integration,` she said.

She said the concerns are now being addressed, and described them as work in progress. Most of the issues, she noted, are addressed in the draft Common Market Protocol whose negotiations by partner states will commence soon.

Fast tracking on the other hand, reflected variance in support, during which Tanzania is on record to have given least support ? 25.4 per cent -, compared to Kenya and Uganda which supported the idea by 64.99 and 56.3 per cent respectively.

Kirao said that since the region has recognized the concerns and variances that arose, at the end of this year it will embark on sensitization involving all stakeholders and bringing on board Rwanda and Burundi.