South Sudan has been admitted into the East African Community (EAC), increasing the membership of the common market to six with a population of 162 million people. The 17th Ordinary EAC Heads of State Summit in Arusha, Tanzania, resolved to admit Africa's newest nation into the economic bloc on Wednesday.

 “South Sudan is a new member of the EAC,” said the EAC secretariat on its social media site on Wednesday. A statement from EAC headquarters in Arusha before the announcement showed that the issue was at the top of the agenda at the meeting. It said the leaders would decide “on the negotiations on the admission of South Sudan into the community,” among other issues. South Sudan now joins Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi and it will be part of the regional integration projects that have been the subject of discussion among member countries. South Sudan applied for EAC membership soon after gaining its independence from neighbouring Sudan in 2011, upon being invited by the presidents of Kenya and Rwanda.

 Source: Daily Nation

By Richard E. Mshomba The East African Legislative Assembly has been discussing the applications of Somalia and South Sudan to join the East African Community (EAC). Somalia and South Sudan do not meet the pre-requisites for membership. High up among the pre-requisites is "adherence to universally acceptable principles of good governance, democracy, the rule of law, observance of human rights and social justice." Although South Sudan received juridical statehood when it gained independence on July 9, 2011, it has been struggling to achieve empirical statehood. Somalia is also a failed state, this country, together with South Sudan should not be allowed to join the EAC at this point. In the last few years, nowhere has the dynamism of regional economic integration in Africa been more apparent than in the EAC. The EAC is planning to have a monetary union by 2023, with the ultimate goal of having a political federation. This aspiration to form a political federation goes beyond that of any other current regional bloc anywhere in the world. To stay focused on its goals, the EAC has so far been careful not to rush in accepting new members. It should continue to take this cautious approach, especially since it does not have a road map regarding how to help these applicants end their internal conflicts and establish good governance. Other countries that have applied to join the EAC are the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan. It is interesting that South Sudan applied to join the EAC just...

By James Karuhanga Two days before the 17th ordinary East African Community (EAC) Heads of State Summit, 17 regional Civil Society Organisations have expressed concerns that the crisis in Burundi is not on the agenda of the upcoming EAC Heads of State Summit. An EAC communiqué announcing the Summit did not mention the Burundi crisis among the list of items to be considered by regional leaders when they meet. A joint statement issued Monday morning by Burundian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and International Organisations to the Summit indicates that the groups are joining their voices "to address the EAC Heads of State." "We are deeply concerned that the Burundi crisis is not on the Agenda of the Summit despite the worsening situation and request that it be given due priority," reads part of the statement. "We urge the Summit to ensure implementation of the decisions taken by the three Extraordinary Summits on the situation in Burundi." Among others, the groups also call on the Summit to support the establishment of a credible investigative mechanism to independently examine all allegations of human rights violations in Burundi, as recommended by the Sub-Committee on Regional Affairs and Conflict Resolution of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) last November. The groups' joint statement was issued during their press conference in Arusha, Tanzania where EAC leaders are scheduled to meet, on Wednesday. "Ending the crisis in Burundi must remain a top priority for the Heads of State of the EAC, who are meeting later this...

By Henry Lyimo Simplified border clearance procedures at the newly opened one stop border posts at Holili and Taveta between Tanzania and Kenya will help boost regional tourism. Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Ramo Makani told reporters that tourism in the region stood to gain from the one stop border posts at Holili and Taveta and the highway between the border town of Taveta and Voi in Kenya whose construction was nearing completion. "The one stop border posts will simplify border crossing procedures which will add value to tourism, he told reporters after the official opening of the Holili and Taveta one stop border posts last Saturday. Simplification of border-crossing procedures will have a direct impact on tourism in terms of improved efficiency in cross-border movement, he said. The East Africa Community is a leading tourist destination in Sub Sahara Africa. In 2012, tourism in East Africa is reported to have contributed 12.8bn US dollars with the industry's total contribution to the GDP ranging between 4.8 per cent on the lower level as is the case with Burundi and 13.2 per cent on the higher level for Tanzania. The Deputy Minister said the border posts at Holili and Taveta and the Voi-Taveta Highway would help to unlock vast tourism potential of the region. "The one stop border posts and the road project when completed will provide an alternative route and a shortcut to Mombasa for tourists," he said Once complete, the new highway link will permit the...

MEMBERS of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) have hailed efforts by President John Magufuli to strengthen efficiency, including the exposure of administrative inadequacies at the Port of Dar es Salaam. The Secretary of the regional assembly’s Tanzania Chapter, Ms Shy-Rose Bhanji, conveyed the praise during a meeting with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Job Ndugai, in Dar es Salaam. Tanzanian MPs from the EALA paid a courtesy call on Mr Ndugai to congratulate him on his election as Speaker of the Union Parliament. “Members of the regional parliament are impressed by the good show by President Magufuli, particularly the exposure of the rot at the Port of Dar es Salaam, which is an important gateway for a number of countries in the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC),” she stated. In response, Mr Ndugai pledged maximum cooperation to the Tanzanian MPs in the regional parliament. “During my tenure, I will make sure that some Standing Orders are amended so that issues which are discussed in EALA are brought to the attention of the National Assembly,” Mr Ndugai said in statement read by the Parliament’s Head of Communications, Mr Owen Mwandumbya. Source: Daily News

Container traffic through Kenya's biggest port grew by 7.5 percent in 2015 after new cargo-handling infrastructure was built, shortening the turnaround time for ships, port management said on Tuesday. The Indian Ocean port of Mombasa, the biggest in east Africa and the region's trade gateway, handles imports of fuel and consumer goods and exports of tea and coffee from landlocked neighbours, such as Uganda and South Sudan. Its traffic considered a measure for economic activity in east Africa. Acting managing director Catherine Muturi told a news conference in Mombasa that the port handled 26.7 million tonnes of cargo between January and December 2015, compared with 24.88 million tonnes handled during a similar period in 2014. Container traffic increased by 6.3 percent to 1,076,118 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2015 from 1,012,002 TEUs registered in 2014. "Although this performance falls short of our target of 1.1 million TEUs for last year, it is a manifestation that the port traffic is growing at a fast rate," Muturi said. Imports totalled 22.68 million tonnes, an increase of 9.2 percent from the 20.77 million tonnes handled in 2014. Exports also increased by 5 percent to 3.53 million tonnes from 3.37 million tonnes in 2014. But the volume of goods headed to neighbouring countries decreased by 28.4 percent, from 731,912 tonnes in 2014 to 523,993 in 2015, a trend Muturi attributed to the introduction of a new cargo-clearing system. Uganda remained the biggest transit market, with its cargo growing by 8.2 percent to 5.98 million...

The management of the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) is considering hiring new workers to bridge a staff shortfall. KPA's acting Managing Director, Catherine Mturi, said yesterday that the authority was conducting a "holistic staff rationalisation exercise to ascertain staff deficits". The outcome of the exercise will determine whether or not new staff are hired. The new workforce would enable the authority to effectively operate a new container terminal at the Mombasa port, which according to Dock Workers Union Secretary General Simon Sang', would require an additional 2,000 employees to run effectively. The port already has about 7,500 employees. In November last year, the authority sacked 129 employees found to have secured employment and promotions using fake academic and professional certificates. Mid last year, over 4,000 job seekers flooded KPA offices after the authority called for applications to fill vacancies left by employees who had gone on strike over National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) rates. Ms Mturi said those who had applied to replace the striking workers would be given priority in any new recruitment. On Monday, Japan's Toyo Construction Ltd handed over the first phase of the Sh31.5 billion terminal to KPA. "Because of the legal issues surrounding the concession, the authority will in the meantime run the new terminal. As from next year, we will be required to pay the loan that financed its construction," said Mturi. Source: Standard Media

By Samuel Karanja The cargo handling capacity at the port of Mombasa is set to increase following the completion of a new container terminal. The completion of phase one of the Mombasa Port Development Project will also ease congestion at the port whose cargo capacity has been increasing by the day. It has also seen the construction of two berths (berth 20 and 21) and another small berth where huge cargo ships can easily dock for off loading. The project, which took four years to complete at a cost Sh25 billion, was being supervised by Japan Port Consultant and undertaken by Toyo Construction Company. The second and third phases are expected to be ready by 2017 and 2020 respectively. The money is part of Sh50 billion loan by the government of Japan to fund development of the facility. Once the handing over is done on Monday, KPA is expected to invite a private operator to operate the container terminal under a concession agreement. Completion of phase one at the west of Kipevu Oil Terminal will now see the capacity increase from one million Twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per year to about 1.3 million TEUs within the same period. Project manager K Nagai said the facility was "100 per cent complete" and would be handed over to KPA on Monday. The facility has a waiting area for empty trucks, repair and washing zone and an area for lorries waiting to be loaded with cargo. There will also be weigh-in-motion bridges to...

Prime  Minister Kassim Majaliwa has unearthed yet another sickening corruption and flaws in the tendering process at the Southern sea gateway Mtwara port. The premier, who was in Mtwara to inspect the construction of three docks at the port sensed elements of crooked practices. He directed relevant authorities to ensure the project implementation takes off instantly. Mtwara is the third largest ocean seaport in the country. It was built as part of the failed Tanganyika groundnut scheme. With the recent economic boom in the region, the government is directing funds for upgrading of the port. Speaking after inspecting the ongoing construction, the Premier said he had information that the company that won the tender was not given the task to implement the project. He hinted that procurement personnel at the port were a stumbling block, a situation that delays the construction process. He urged Members of Parliament from Mtwara to team up and ensure that construction of the three docks starts at the earliest. It will also create employment to people in the region. "Not only employment opportunities will be availed to people of Mtwara but many ships will be docking at Mtwara port and pay taxes that will increase revenue for the region," said the Premier. "I know that there are plans to construct four new docks at Mtwara (one will be under the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) and the rest through tendering. The tender was announced and Hyundai Company from Japan won. But there have been delaying tactics...

Importers with overstayed and uncollected cargo at the port of Mombasa have 60 days to enjoy a waiver on storage and demurrage charges. The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) want the cargo cleared out by the 12thof May in an effort of decongesting the port. The move follows a consultative meeting between regional revenue authorities, the Kenya ships Agents Association and the Ministry of Transport held in January. “The public is hereby notified that all storage charges, demurrage charges and customs warehouse rent accrued on long stay cargo discharged at the port of Mombasa shall be waived in full,” reads a joint statement from KRA and KPA. Port congestion has become a major challenge for the KPA. The port of Mombasa is a major gateway for goods headed into the East African region. Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and South Sudan are major users of the port. However, congestion challenges continue to be a big concern. Rwanda for instance now only uses the port for 40 percent of its imports and exports, with the rest going through the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Kenya is constructing a Ksh 28 billion second container terminal to boost trade in the region, and handle increased importation of goods. The second terminal will have capacity to handle 450,000 twenty foot equivalent units (TEU) with capacity to grow this to 1.2 million by 2019. In 2015 the port handled one million TEUs. Cargo not collected within the 60 days shall...