EAC Community keeps failing to reach its targets. Do you do think why?
The EAC Community was established in the year , 1967, by the three members, Kenya , Tanzania and Zanzibar. There was three common goals that were aimed to reach, the common market, the union and the harmonized policies, but the three failed to build stable community, this led to total failure if the community to continue to resist in 1977 mostly due to political and ideological differences. After 23 years, the early three countries signed agreement to revive the community, it was signed in 1999 November 30, and the community activities started to work in 2000 July 7.
At this time the vision was clear and the countries could get some profits from being in the community. After seven years, Rwanda and Burundi joined the EAC , and it came from a three members community and became the five members community. The community continued to grow and through different presidential meetings, the community set some goals, such as opening the EAC sky, travel with identity card only, easy customs procedures, peace promotion among countries and the others. Some were done but others still remain into the sayings. Some countries like Burundi didn’t usually give out their money share to use in community’s planed activities. Although there were still some problems the community was facing, they didn’t stop the community to grow, it continued to receive the new other members, in 2015 South Sudan joined the EAC Community, in 2022 Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) joined and the last country to join the EAC is Somalia which joined in 2023.
The EAC has now seven countries members. But people are raising voices that although the community continued to receive new members after it’s revival in 2000, but still to reach the millennium goals is impossible at the time things are in the way they are nowadays.
How is the situation in EAC today?
If someone can confirm that only few EAC regulations are being used, he cannot be accepted as a liar! The countries are doing businesses but mostly through their signed accords not by EAC accords.
What are serious problems hindering EAC Community’s targets?
. Members conflicts. It is sad to say but it happened, some EAC countries members are in conflicts and accusing each other. DRC and Rwanda are in conflicts since 2022, when RDC started to invade Rwanda’s sky, and Rwanda says to solve the problem it set the protective measures. Rwanda and Burundi too, the borders are closed, due to each country accuse each to hide the enemies of one another. These conflicts between country members, really hinder the EAC Community’s targets for there can’t be anyhow trade can be done with people not able to move.
. The internal conflicts and political instability
In some EAC countries members, they have inner conflicts, countries like DRC, still remains in unceasing wars, terrorism and illegal armed groups, the government still is unable to end the killing of innocent citizens. South Sudan, the war between Riek Machar and Salva Kiir haven’t yet come to agreement still the country is in chaos.
. The genocide ideology
This serious problem that can bear out a thing bad if it continues to grow, for still countries like DRC and Burundi are still people who are killed for only they are of some ethnic. In RDC, the Congolese Kinyarwanda speaking people are being maltreated and some killed, Banyamukenge too, and others.
. Corrupt leaders.
Although we cannot confirm that either this leader or that is corrupt, we can see the visible facts. Countries like DRC is still struggling to get out of world’s poorest countries, in the time it comes in top 20 world’s to have rich mineral resources. No other idea anyone can think devoid the corruption in government officials and prioritizing self interests not working for the citizens.
The problems EAC Community is facing are not limited to these , there might be others , so whenever these all problems aren’t solved. EAC Community will keep struggle to reach its planed targets.
