Three heads of state Yoweri Museveni of Uganda (3rd from left), Uhuru
Kenyatta of Kenya (2nd from right) and Paul Kagame of Rwanda (3rd from
right) at the recent event they held in Kenya. The leaders signed off
on ambitious plans to fast-track the East African political federation
PHOTO | FILE
By Daniel K. Kalinaki and Mathias Ringa The Citizen Correspondents
(email the author)
Posted Friday, August 30 2013 at 11:20
Posted Friday, August 30 2013 at 11:20
In Summary
The communiqué was issued after a closed-door
session involving President Uhuru Kenyatta, President Yoweri Museveni
and President Paul Kagame
Nairobi. The Presidents of
Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda yesterday signed ambitious plans to fast-track
the East African political federation, complete key infrastructure
projects and bring Burundi and South Sudan into the new multi-lateral
partnership within the community.
Ministers will meet in Kampala next month and
agree on a roadmap by September 15 as well prepare a zero draft on the
federal constitution by October 15, the presidents said in a joint
communiqué signed yesterday.
“The talks were held in a friendly and warm
brotherly atmosphere,” the communiqué issued after the meeting in
Mombasa noted. “The Heads of State and Government welcomed the
participation of the Republic of South Sudan and the Republic of Burundi
in the Summit.”
The communiqué was issued after a closed-door
session involving President Uhuru Kenyatta, President Yoweri Museveni of
Uganda and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda. President Pierre Nkurunziza
of Burundi and President Salva Kiir of South Sudan were represented in
the meeting by their ministers for foreign affairs and works and
transport, respectively.
Only hours after jointly launching a new berth at
Mombasa Port, the three presidents said construction of the
Mombasa-Nairobi segment of the new standard-gauge railway will start by
November and the entire project, to Kampala and Kigali, will be
completed by March 2018.
Partner states were also given until October 15 to
confirm whether they intend to participate in the proposed joint
financing of an oil refinery in Uganda. The presidents also directed
their responsible ministers to report back on progress of the Eldoret –
Kampala oil pipeline project and the feasibility study for its extension
to Kigali during the third infrastructure summit in October in Kigali,
Rwanda.
The meeting followed the first infrastructure
summit in June in Entebbe attended by Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda where the
three countries agreed to co-fund joint infrastructure projects and
reduce the cost of doing business in the region.
Tanzania and Burundi, which are members of the
East African Community, were not invited to the Entebbe Summit, which
was presented as a trilateral initiative. Significantly, however,
Burundi’s participation in yesterday’s summit – albeit through a
ministerial delegation – suggests Bujumbura’s willingness to join the
new regional infrastructure initiative.
source: The citizen
source: The citizen
