Millions of people in East Africa are not happy by the way their presidents hurry for fast tracking the East African Political federation.  Previously Ugandan internal affairs minister Gen. Aronda Nyakairima was appointed the chairman of the East African political federation fast tracking committee. The group includes his boss president Museveni of Uganda, Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and Pierre… Nkuruziza of Burundi with exception of Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania who snubbed it.

Our undoing is that these four presidents are marching their people into the political federation without our permission and participation. They are projecting that by 2015 Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and Kenya will be one country under one leadership with the same currency. But what is not clear is that on the way leaders will emerge; there is a possibility that they will rule on a rotational basis or elections amongst them.

Since time immemorial our fore fathers rejected this weird move. Dating way back in 1953 when then Buganda kingdom king Edward Muteesa II rejected the fast tracking of the East African federation proposal at the insistence of then colonial administrator Sir Andrew Cohen… something which led to the deportation of the Buganda king to Britain.

I think this is not a tenable cause as we have different cultures, different economic set up and languages in East Africa. Many Ugandans are afraid this common market will erode them from the labour markets and we wonder where these East African Presidents get the audacity to decide for their people without involving them so that their voices is heard. So will it be the federation of the East African leaders or their people? The people of Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya congratulate Tanzania for snubbing this weird move of the fast tracking of the East African federation.

Walakira Nyanzi

Speaker Makindye LCIII

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