In Summary
- But the “coalition of the willing” went a step further in its Mombasa meeting last month by resolving for fast track the political federation.
Kigali. The so-called coalition of the willing
comprising Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda has continued with its integration
endeavours without Tanzania and Burundi.
It has emerged that experts from Kenya, Uganda and
Rwanda met in Kigali on Thursday to advance discussions on how to
implement the directive of their heads of state to have a single tourist
visa available from 2014 onwards, to enhance the flow of tourist
visitors across the three countries without additional fees.
This comes after the East African Community
Council of Ministers officially sought clarification on why the three
countries have been running a parallel integration agenda that sidelines
the other two partners.
Early this month the Council directed its
chairperson, Uganda’s EAC Affairs minister Shem Bageine, to prepare full
information on the blossoming alliance between Kenya and its landlocked
neighbours Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda.
“The Council requested the chairperson of the
Council to provide more information on these developments to the Council
at its 28th Meeting,” the ministers said after their meeting earlier
this month.
The EAC secretariat has denied any divisions,
saying the region’s treaty allows members to sign pacts for implementing
milestones agreed at regional level as long as there was room for
others to join when ready.
But the “coalition of the willing” went a step
further in its Mombasa meeting last month by resolving for fast track
the political federation.
“The issue of passport-free travel also came up
for discussion, with a proposal that nationals of the three countries
should only be able to use ID cards or voter registration cards to
travel from one member state to another,” said a source who attended the
meeting.
According to reports, another summit will be held
in two months in Kigali to review what the panel of experts has agreed
on before implementing visa and ID travel arrangements. One of the
things agreed as far as the single tourist visa is concerned is that the
cost of $100 for a document covering all three countries will be shared
equally, with each country being allocated $30 while the first entry
point country will get a further $10 for administration cost.
“The information (on single tourist visa) was
received with great enthusiasm by the tourism sectors of the three
countries where hopes are high that the measures will increase the
number of visitor and revenues,” Mr Thomas Steinmetz of the eTN, a
travel news website, said.
It was pointed out though that provisions must be
made for duly registered expatriates resident in any of the three
countries to travel freely across the borders without having to pay
additional fees from January.SOURCE: THE CITIZEN
