EAC: Kenya has no reason to bend too low for acceptance
By PETER WANYONYI
Posted Thursday,
October 30 2008 at 16:53
Source: Daily Nation
THE EAST AFRICAN community region is a rarity in the contient — five contiguous countries sharing a pre-colonial and colonial history, and presently with a dream to unite their economies and, eventually, as a federated political entity.
That, at least, is the dream. The reality is a little more discouraging.
Ugandan MPs are considering a Bill that will make it almost impossible for citizens of other East African countries to invest in the Kampala Stock Exchange.
This comes in the wake of concern in the country following the losses suffered by Ugandan investors who put their money into the Nairobi Stock Exchange during the Safaricom IPO.
In Tanzania, nationals of the rest of the EAC are not even allowed to own land.
A recent EAC leaders’ summit wrung out of Tanzania a protocol allowing non-citizens to settle “so long as they are engaged in economic activities”.
As the “economic activities” are not defined in the protocol, it is left to local interpretation to decide what does qualify.
And as Kenyan companies have discovered to their considerable cost, such interpretation is generally anti-EAC and usually anti-Kenyan.
UNDERLYING THESE AND VARIOUS other actions that go against the “spirit of the EAC” — if ever there was one — is a rabid fear of Kenyans in both Uganda and Tanzania.
Tanzania — with far more land than Kenya, blessed with hydrocarbons and gold as well as diamonds, without a history of strife or pronounced ethnicity to the extent that Kenya has, and with a larger population than Kenya’s — is much poorer than Kenya.
Various excuses have been advanced to explain this, the most credible of which is the destructive “Ujamaa” system of economic (under) development that Tanzania followed under President Nyerere.
Uganda, on the other hand, is bogged down in ethnic insurrections in the north and a simmering, now-on now-off war with rebels in the Congo.
As a result of the mistrust between the original EAC triumvirate, their borders are bywords for lack of co-operation between the respective border agencies.
On the Kenya-Uganda border, a rag-tag rebel movement materialised in the last two years, murdering civilians and hacking off the ears of those they did not kill.
They used the Ugandan side of Mt Elgon as their hideout. The Ugandan authorities were not in the least bit bothered.
In Tanzania, Kenyans seem to be seen as criminals first and foremost.
Last year, a Kenyan investor who owned a driving school in Nairobi — a woman, no less — was gunned down in Tanzania on suspicion of being “a bank robber”.
She was not even armed, and no trace of arms or the proceeds of robbery were found on her person or in her car.
Teh-teh-teh. Hawa jamaa bwana, hiyo ni hadithi ya "SIZITAKI MBICHI HIZI" Leo ndo wamegundua haya? mbona haelezi walivyokuwa wakisema mlima kilimanjaro ni wa kwao?.
ReplyDeleteEbwana eeeh, mambo kama ndo haya EAC na ifie mabali. Acha tujibakie na ka-mgogoro ketu ka Pemba na Zanzibar. Wakenya ni sawa na Wachina weusi.
Hatuwezi, Wahindi walishatutawala, Wachina ndo hivo tena washaanza kuzaa na dada zetu Temeke, Wakenya nao wanataka mashamba ya kibaigwa. .....Kwaheri TANZANIA
Duh jamaa uvumilivu umewashinda,Wanaonesha dhahiri uchu wao wa ardhi yetu.
ReplyDeleteEAC sawa lakini ardhi hatuwapi ng'o.
Huyu mwandishi amekubali kuwa Kenya ni nchi masikini inagawa inajidai kuwa 'masikini tajiri' zaidi ya Tanzania.
ReplyDeleteMwandishi anajitia kuwa Kenya 'isijishushe' chini zaidi ili kuunda jumuia ya afrika mashariki, ni jambo la kuchekesha masikini kumcheka masikini mwenzake. Kenya hakuna chochote zaidi ya kuwa makazi yanayopendelewa na makampuni ya kimataifa ili kuendeleza unyoyaji wa rasilimali ktk nchi jirani kama Tanzania n.k. Kenya hawana madini, ardhi nzuri na idadi kubwa kuendeleza uchumi wao.
Hivyo tuwapuuze wenzetu wanaotaka kuwa mawakala wa makampuni ya kimataifa kunyoya rasilimali za nchi jirani na Kenya.
Tusikubali makubaliano ya jumuia ya afrika mashariki kwa faida ya mawakala wa makampuni ya kimataifa yenye 'ofisi za uwakala' Nairobi na Mombasa, bali tuunde jumuia kwa manufaa ya Tanzania kwanza na jumuia ya afrika mashariki huru isiyo wakala wa makampuni ya kigeni jijini Nairobi.
Mdau
Jijini London.
Huyu mwandishi amekubali kuwa Kenya ni nchi masikini inagawa inajidai kuwa 'masikini tajiri' zaidi ya Tanzania.
ReplyDeleteMwandishi anajitia kuwa Kenya 'isijishushe' chini zaidi ili kuunda jumuia ya afrika mashariki, ni jambo la kuchekesha masikini kumcheka masikini mwenzake. Kenya hakuna chochote zaidi ya kuwa makazi yanayopendelewa na makampuni ya kimataifa ili kuendeleza unyoyaji wa rasilimali ktk nchi jirani kama Tanzania n.k. Kenya hawana madini, ardhi nzuri na idadi kubwa kuendeleza uchumi wao.
Hivyo tuwapuuze wenzetu wanaotaka kuwa mawakala wa makampuni ya kimataifa kunyoya rasilimali za nchi jirani na Kenya.
Tusikubali makubaliano ya jumuia ya afrika mashariki kwa faida ya mawakala wa makampuni ya kimataifa yenye 'ofisi za uwakala' Nairobi na Mombasa, bali tuunde jumuia kwa manufaa ya Tanzania kwanza na jumuia ya afrika mashariki huru isiyo wakala wa makampuni ya kigeni jijini Nairobi.
Mdau
Jijini London.
TANZANIA LAND IS FOR TANZANIANS...FULL STOP.
ReplyDelete"Ardhi hatuwapi ng'o" - and yet you pay through the nose for ordinary food items becaus you have neither the skills nor the capital to farm your land. the Chinese are already settling en-masse in Tanzania - give them another 10 years, and you will wish you had given it to Kenya instead. Meanwhile, for Kenyans, Congo awaits...
ReplyDeletePS. Dont you ever wonder why, despite the massive resources Tz has, you are all so dirt-poor? Take Zanzibar out of your GDP figures and mainland Tz remains with a GDP that is the same as that of Sierra Leone. Now, that IS poverty...
This is the most stupid and ignorant post I've ever seen. Kama ungekua MTZ labda at least ningesoma mbaka mwisho, ila jina lako linaonesha ni MKEII. Umeshasema our population is high, so at least we need everyone of us to own land and if there will be some left then we might consider your idea.Secondly WHY do you need Tanzania land?? is it that all in Kenya is occupied?? Thats what I thought..IDIOT
ReplyDeleteWANYONYI:
ReplyDeleteIt was the ideas of Mwalimu Nyerere that you guys, were mocking to be useless.Now the tunell comes to the end; and you want to extend your aggressiveness you are looking at EAC as the only option you can expand.WE DAMN KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS WANT....ITS THE LAND.
TELL ME IF IN KENYA THE MLUYA IS ALLOWED TO OWN LAND!! WE KNOW VERY WELL THAT THE WHOLE LAND IS STILL UNDER THE BRITISH SETTLERS (we have even forget this word -Settlers) AND KIKUYUS.
STOP USING MWALIMU'S IDEOLOGIES WHICH NOT LONG AGO; WERE A SERIOUS JOCK AND SUDDENLY THEY HAVE TURNED TO BE A POINT TO MAKE TANZANIANS GUILTY.
WE DONT KNOW TRIBALISM -SO STOP BLAMING TANZANIAN AND SETTLE THE ISSUE WITH YOUR FELLOW TRIBALIST UGANDANS
A SIMPLE MESSAGE TO YOUR FELLOW KENYANS- WE WILL AND SHALL NEVER WEAVER!!
MTANZANIA HALISI..
Si unaona zile risasi zilizisaidia kusitisha ujambazi wa wakenya,hawatatusahau wabongo kwa hilo.EAC hatuitaki sio vipi wala vile just hatutaki watuache na matatizo yetu na ndugu zetu ROJOROJO.kwikwikwikwi.
ReplyDeletehawa wakenya kelele ni nyingi mno, utafikiri kuna cha maana walichofanya , huyo anaesema tutoe GDP ya zanzibar tubakishe ya mainliand tanzania ndo mpuuzi kabisa anajaribu kututenga?yeye zanzibar inamhusu nini, nyie wakenya tusikilizieni tuu hayo yote yaliyo hapo kwenu mmetengenezewa tuu na hao mabwana zenu sisi hatukuachiwa chochote lakini tutawapiga gap muda si mrefu, muwe na adabu na muache dharau,na huwa mnanichefua kweli mnaposema mlima kilimanjaro ni wakwenu, hao watalii wadanganyeni ni wenu siku wakijakujua mnadanganya ndo mtakaponyea debe, muache dharau, despicable kenyans
ReplyDeleteEAC hatuitaki hapa Tanzania. Tuna mswala muhimu zaidi ya kushughulikia zaidi ya hii "fake" EAC....Ufisadi umekomaa, wananchi wa Tanzania tunahitaji ajira, Mpaka leo hii kuna wanafunzi katika mikoa tofauti ambao wanasomea sakafuni....wengine chini ya vivli vya miti....kwahiyo, yetu wenyewe hapa yanatutosha. Hiyo EAC...wakae nayo wenyewe. Anayeitaka aihamishie baharini....aijenge huko.
ReplyDeletenashukuru sana kwa wabongo kuamka ardhi na uchumi ni wa mzawa amka baba amka baba mambo mengine tutachangia bwana big sana wabongo sasa bongo mambo moto himahima tanzania kwa spidi ya sasa bongo itakuwa shwari ya zamani yote yatakuwa historia..amka baba safi sana wabongo..
ReplyDeleteinstead of attacking the post take a minute to think deeper on what its talking about.
ReplyDeletekama unaona wana hamu sana ardhi yetu yenye mali nyingi je kwanini unashindwa kujiuliza je ardhi hii imetusaidia nini sisi wananchi katioka kupeleka maisha yetu juu?
je imesaidia nini kwenye uchumi wetu? ni kwanini sisis bado ni one of the poorest country in the world with all resources that we have? kama kenya wanaona ardhi yetu ina mali nyingi ni kwanini uchumi wao huko juu yetu?
kuto jiuliza maswali kama haya ndio kinachotufanya watanzania kuwa mazoba na kuendelea kutawaliwa na few corrupted people who r so selfish and careless about our country.
we need to make our leaders responsible when they r wrong not just to remain silent.
mimi sitaki EAC sio kwa sababu nawaogopa wakenya au uganda watachukua mali zetu kwani ni tayari zishachukuliwa na watu wa nje vya kutosha na ndio maana sisi ni nchi maskini japokuwa hatuna sababu ya kuwa na masikini.fikra zetu za kimasikini na tunashindwa kusimama kudai haki yetu kisa tunaogopa kuvunja amani.
unaposhindwa kudai haki yako hio sio amani huo ni utumwa.we r slaves in our own country by our own people.bilioni 133 zinachotwa bila mtu kuwajibishwa huku wanafunzi wanakaa chini madarasani,walimu hawalipwi mishahara na huu unaitwa amani.
mda umefika tuache mambo ya kuongea pumba kuhusu nchi za jirani bali tujaribu kutatua matatizo ya ndani kwetu wenyewe.
wake up tanzanians.
msema kweli.
Banange... will you give EPA ae break!
ReplyDeleteWhat's in it for me?
ReplyDeleteHili ndio swali ambalo kila mtu anajiuliza kabla ya kufanya makubaliano yoyote. Wakenya wanajua kwa nini wanataka shirikisho kama ilivyoonyesha makala ya mwandishi. Watanzania wanajua wanataka nini kwenye shirikisho lakini hawawaamini watu waliowaweka kusimamia maslahi yao kwa sababu wana mashaka watu hao wanasimamia maslahi yao binafsi na washirika wao.
Huu ni woga sahihi kuwa nao.
http://www.economist.com/world/mideast-africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13610881
ReplyDelete