The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has endorsed the ‘One-stop-border- post’ Bill which is set to become a law and expected to be assented by the five East African Community (EAC) Presidents scheduled to meet here next Sunday.
The Holili One Stop Border Post
‘One-stop-border-post’ construction at Holili border in Kilimanjaro Region has already been completed, while a similar station at Namanga border in Arusha will be ready early next year.
The passing of the Bill by EALA on Tuesday here paves way for it to become Community Law only if assented to by the EAC Heads of State – Jakaya Kikwete, Yoweri Museveni, Paul Kagame, Uhuru Kenyatta and Pierre Nkurunzinza. The five presidents are scheduled to hold an extraordinary summit here at the end of the week.
The object of the Bill, initiated by the EAC Council of Ministers, is to provide for the establishment of One Stop Border Posts (OSBP) in the Community in order to facilitate trade through an efficient movement of goods and people within the Community.
Under the arrangement, Partner States shall implement one stop border processing arrangements by establishing and designating control zones at the respective border posts. The Bill in addition seeks to extend Partner States’ national laws relating to border control officers of adjoining Partner States, permitting their free movement within the controlled zone(s) in the performance of their duties, without producing passports, but by simply producing their appropriate identity.
The Bill makes provision for the application of border control laws and provides for institutional arrangements in the co-ordination and monitoring of the one stop border posts. In so doing, however, the Bill does not affect the rights of any adjoining Partner State(s) to take temporary measures in the interest of defence, security, public safety and public order.
Common Border posts designated in the EAC as One Stop Border Posts include the Taveta-Holili border and the Namanga border (Kenya- United Republic of Tanzania), Busia and Malaba borders (Kenya – Uganda) and the Kanyaru-Akanyaru border (Burundi-Rwanda).
Others are the Mutukula border (United Republic of Tanzania- Uganda), Gasenyi-Nemba border (Burundi, Rwanda) and Lungalunga-Horohoro border (Kenya – United Republic of Tanzania). Debate on the Bill was preceded by the tabling of a report of the Committee on Communications, Trade and Investment presented by the Chairperson, Hon Dan Kidega.
The report underscores the need for Partner States to develop, upgrade and modernise the required infrastructural facilities and to enhance technological advancement to enable efficient and effective implementation of the Bill. The report was filed as a result of public hearings held in the Partner States on March 6-12, this year and April 11, this year to collect views from different stakeholders.
The Committee at that point received views from customs officials, clearing and forwarding agents and members of the business community, among others. The report urges the Council of Ministers to conduct sensitisation programmes on the OSBP to the populace and to fast-track the process of processing the needed regulations.
‘It is true the OSBP has been operating on some border points on bilateral arrangements within the Partner States; therefore the law is critical because it provides a regional legal framework’, the report said in part.
At debate time, Hon. Shy- Rose Bhanji commended the Council of Ministers for initiating the Bill, noting that it would reduce the unnecessary bureaucracies at the border posts. ‘This is a major achievement and we want the capacities of the personnel at the borders to be built so as to enhance service delivery,’ the legislator remarked.
Hon. Mike Sebalu noted that it was necessary for the OSBP initiative to be rolled out to all borders when finances permit so as to demystify free movement. ‘Integration is people centered and we must make the processes easy to implement the Common Market Protocol’, he noted.
By MARC NKWAME, Tanzania Daily News
