L-R: Presidents Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Paul Kagame (Rwanda) and Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya) during the launch of the Mombasa port recently. Actions of the three leaders have been seen to mean isolation of Tanzania. PHOTO BY PPU
The Tanzania government on Monday renounced the activities of the governments of Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, saying they are illegal. This is in response to growing concerns among the public that the activities being advanced by the three EAC member countries are isolating Tanzania.
In a statement issued by the ministry of East African Cooperation, the government said the ongoing talks between the three countries were against the EAC protocol. According to the government, the projects under deliberation by the new coalition, and which have received the blessing of presidents Uhuru Kenyatta, Yoweri Museveni and Paul Kagame, should have been endorsed first by all the EAC member countries.
The statement was issued by the ministry’s head of communication, Mr Vedastina Justinian. He said Tanzania’s official stand regarding the willingness of other countries to enter bi-lateral or tri-lateral arrangements needed consensus before implementation. “This is notwithstanding the fact that the coalition of the three countries in exclusion of Tanzania and Burundi is being run under their respective foreign affairs dockets and not through the EAC secretariat,” the official said.
Mr Justinian said the Kenyan, Rwandan and Ugandan leaders were in contravention of Article 7(1) (e) of the EAC protocol. “Even though this Article allows member countries to enter bi-lateral or tri-lateral agreements, it is a must that issues under consideration for implementation are fully agreed upon by all member countries,” read the statement. He reiterated that Tanzania would wait for a response from the EAC council of ministers over the activities of the three member countries following a protest it sent in August 31.