EAC seeks $ 4.8m for political union project

Arusha. The East African Community (EAC) requires $4.8million to accomplish its Political Federation project.

The secretariat is urging for a special funding arrangement to undertaken and complete the process in time.

"It is an expensive project requiring substantial financial investment", said the secretary general Liberat Mfumukeko.

He admitted when speaking in Kampala last week that the  process was behind schedule due to scarcity of funds.

"In our estimation, the process of drafting the Constitution will require resources to the tune of $ 4.8 million", he said.

Amb. Mfumukeko was speaking in the Uganda capital during the launching of the National Stakeholders Consultations to Draft of the EAC Political Confederation.

He added that the consultations would ensure full participation of the EAC citizens in the desired integration process.

According to him, the development of the Constitution of the proposed EAC Confederation was "a political process that requires high level of inclusion".

 The drafting of the EAC Political Confederation is being undertaken by a team of Constitutional Experts nominated by the six partner states.

The 18-member team is chaired by Justice Dr. Benjamin Odoki, the Chief Justice Emeritus of the Uganda and the process was projected to be completed in 2022 with its adoption by the Summit.

Launching the consultations, Uganda President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda said the envisaged East African Political Federation will bring prosperity to the region.

"It will bring prosperity which can be attained through trade and economic growth", he said at his Entebbe State House on Monday.

He added that envisaged political union would also guarantee the strategic security for smaller member countries of the Community from external threats.

He said the Political Confederation he launched was "a transitional model" to the Political Federation.

Speaking at the event, the Chairperson of the Team of Constitutional Experts Justice Dr. Odoki said the team has been to various parts of the world studying the confederation systems.

He added that they has also finalized a study and analysing of the EAC establishment in order to align it with the practice of confederations.

Political Federation is the ultimate goal of the EAC regional integration project and the fourth after the Customs Union, Common Market and Monetary Union.

The process has, nonetheless, been slow and in 2017, the Summit of the Heads of State agreed on the Political Confederation model of Political Federation.

A team tasked to develop the Draft Constitution was to present its report to the regional leaders during their ordinary summit on November 30th.

However, the summit which was to take place in Arusha has been postponed indefinitely.