Lack of Political Will. The effects on the development of Regional Trade in East Africa Community(EAC)

Abstract

East African Community is an integration of eight countries namely Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Somalia. In the establishment of this integration, it established four milestones that would help it to achieve on its development basing on cooperation. Those milestones are Customary Union, Common Market, Monetary Union and Political federation.

Since the year 2000, the three countries Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania joined together and establish the EAC Treaty to help them for implement their goals but the implementation of that treaty has remained different challenges. Some of the development projects included in the four pillars are still pending others are looks like a failed. For example if the project comes in EAC that can help in its development some countries implement it and others remain silent. The main reason why this is not achieved is the lack of political will in EAC member states leaders.

There is an effect of inconsistency and concurrent processing in integration. One of the most affected is the development of trade. The successful of Trade needs many things including infrastructure, peace, technology, cooperation, political will and others. Lack of political will in EAC is one of the reasons why the trade does not develop according to the objectives of EAC from the year of 2000.

By thoroughly analyzing the reasons for apolitical will or lack of political will, this thesis highlights the two main challenges without ignoring the various others. Those reasons are conflict between member states and the culture of impunity. This thesis also presents a hypothesis on these two challenges calling on the EAC administration to establish measures to help maintain peace in the member countries and to establish economic sanctions to the country failed to comply with the EAC treaty and other laws. This thesis ends with reference to the European Union as a developed integration to the world and as where the history of regional integration began.