FIRST EAC POLITICAL PARTIES FORUM KICKS-OFF IN NAIROBI

Kenya’s Prime Minister says: ‘’We need political vision that goes beyond our national borders.’’


East African Community Secretariat, Arusha: 

 Kenya ’s Prime Minister Rt. Hon.Raila Odinga has called on political parties in EAC Partner States to embrace the regional integration process and asked them to make it part and parcel of their party manifestos. ‘’Just as the EAC integration must embrace political parties, so must political parties also embrace the integration process,’’ Hon. Odinga said when opening the inaugural two-day consultative meeting of political parties from the EAC Partner States in Nairobi, Kenya yesterday.  

He added that it was a responsibility of party leaders and members to ensure that party policies regarding  integration are developed and implemented. ‘’The integration process will open up tremendous opportunities in our region,’’ he told over 200 delegates attending the forum.
 

The Kenya ’s Prime Minister underscored that EA parties must collaborate across national boundaries to realise objectives of better lives for the region’s citizens.’ No nation, let alone any political party, is an island in today’s global world. To be relevant in that world, we need vision that goes beyond our nationalborders.’’ 

Hon. Odinga also suggested the need to review the election format of the members of the East African Legislative Assembly, to make it more representative.’’ Its current election process requires review, so that direct election of members is enshrined within the Treaty’s framework.
 

‘’Our countries should cede some sovereignty and powers if we are to propel this process to level that requires better enforcement mechanism ,” Peter Munya, Kenya ’s Assistant Minister for EAC Affairs said earlier. He said that East African people would be the eventual winners from the integration process with better living standards.
 

The EAC Deputy Secretary General(in charge of Political Federation), Hon. Beatrice Kiraso stressed that political parties are  and would continue to be key stakeholders in the integration process and in the realization of the Community’s ultimate desire of a Political Federation.

‘Well functioning Political Parties are a pre requisite to democracy, and need to be engaged in exploring alternative policy options,’’ she said in her opening remarks. She also added that there might be areas that are easier to be discussed and agreed at regional level rather than at national levels. ‘’This meeting is a historic moment for East Africa . It is a milestone that has taken us five years to achieve,’’ Hon. Kiraso told the attentive delegates, including leaders of political parties, representatives of National Parliaments, Registrars of Political Parties, National Election Management Bodies, National Human Rights Commissions, Academia, Internal Security/Law Enforcement and the EAC Ministries and Media, among others.

Earlier, the delegates stood for a minute’s silence in memory of those who died of recent tragedies in Zanzibar, in Sinai Naiorbi and Mt. Elgon in Uganda. The forum follows a recommendation to create a regional platform to bring political parties national sensitization workshops of political parties on the ongoing EAC integration process. 

The forum would also provide an opportunity to the political parties to examine their manifestos, establish areas of convergence and propose ways of how they will advance in preparation for participation in the regional political processes.

The recommendations of the forum will be presented to the EAC Council of Ministers in November this year.