By Costantine Sebastian, Arusha
The proliferation of kingdoms and chiefdoms in Uganda and the concerted calls for ‘majimboism’ in Kenya do not augur well for a regional political federation.
According to the EAC secretary general, Mr Juma Mwapachu, if the region was really committed to a viable political partnership it should do away with ethnic political groupings like the kingdoms being promoted in Uganda.
He further noted here on Tuesday that equally important was the issue of checking and taming political violence that engulfed Kenya immediately after the 2007 general election.
Mr Mwapachu sounded these warnings in a speech to open the 12th Conference on Democratic Transition in East Africa organised here by the Research and Education for Democracy in Tanzania (REDET) of the University of Dar es Salaam.
He said the organisation of the conference in Arusha, which is hosting celebrations of the EAC 10th Anniversary, was relevant and timely.
It will contribute towards addressing political challenges facing the regional integration process, he explained.
He said another political challenge that should be squarely addressed in the context of the EAC political federation is the issue of Zanzibar in the Union Government of Tanzania.
Mr Mwapachu said he was upbeat about the recent consensus reached by the Zanzibar Revolutionary Government and the opposition Civil United Front.
He told journalists that a government of national unity or a coalition in the isles would be okay provided it addressed the pertinent issues that for many years had divided Zanzibaris.
Citing the examples of Germany under the current chancellor and Italy since World War II, he said coalitions can be political arrangements that enhance stability in the region.
“The theme of this year’s REDET conference, which is ‘Governance and Development at the Grassroots in the East African Region, is a topical issue with relevant implications� the EAC political federation will not materialise without addressing governance issues at the local, national and regional levels,” he told the gathering.
Commenting on the theme, the associate chairman of REDET, Dr Benson Bana, said the grassroots, particularly the local level governance institutions, are given scant attention in the discourse of governance and development in many countries.
The neglect, he cautioned, was not good and should be stopped for it had a negative impact on the democratization process in the region.
He said REDET has been holding annual conferences on democratic transition since 1998. The gatherings, he added, have been providing an important forum for EAC countries to share knowledge and learn from each other�s experience in democracy dispensation and governance.
The two-day gathering, which was also attended by the Arusha regional commissioner, Mr Isidori Shirima, has drawn participants from all the five EAC member states.
It is the third conference on democratic transition in the region to be organised by REDET in Arusha. Since its inception in 1992 it has strived to undertake various activities aimed at contributing to the democratization process in East Africa.
The Citizen
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