NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 25 — The East African Community (EAC) is expected to launch a Verification Mission to assess Somalia’s bid to join the regional bloc whose membership stands at seven.
The Mission comprising senior officials from all Partner States including Kenya will review Mogadishu’s compliance to key requirements, the EAC Secretariat said on Wednesday.
“The EAC is set to officially launch the Verification Mission to assess the Federal Republic of Somalia’s readiness to join the EAC, today, at 9AM, EAT,” the secretariat stated in a tweet.
Somalia expressed interest in July 2022 to join the bloc founded in 1967 by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and revamped in 2000 after collapse in 1977.
EAC Secretary General Dr Mutuku Mathuki said the verification mission will draft a report for consideration by the bloc’s summit.
“We are sending a team of experts to Somalia for a verification mission by end of this month which will come up with a report. The report will be shared with both the cabinet and the summit for recommendations,” Mathuki remarked recently.
Speaking during a staff retreat for the Secretariat, East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and East African Court of Justice (EACJ) staff at Maanzoni Lodge in Machakos County on January 13, he exuded confidence Somalia’s bid would succeed.
“If it is deemed fit for admission, then Somalia becomes our 8th member state by end of this year,” he added.
He noted Somalia’s entry will help boost the region’s economy from the current annual average of $10 billion to a projected $20 billion
Sheikh Mohamud’s bid
Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud made a high-level visit to EAC headquarters at the time where he formally launched a bid to mobilize support from Member States.
Mohamud’s visit coincided with a High-Level Retreat by EAC Heads of State to review the region’s common market protocol.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is the latest State in the region to join EAC after concluding its admission in April last year.
Rwanda and Burundi joined the bloc in 2007 while South Sudan became a Member State in 2016.
Requirements for accession
Somalia’s accession to the EAC could take up to two years with the final decision on admission resting with the Summit of the bloc’s Heads of State.
The Summit considers admission upon satisfying all the conditions under Articles 3 and 4 of the Treaty for the establishment of the EAC.
Under Article 3 which spells up the membership of the community sets the admission criteria to include an applicant’s: acceptance of the Community as set out in this Treaty and adherence to universally acceptable principles of good governance, democracy, the rule of law, observance of human rights and social justice.
Other requirements include potential contribution to the strengthening of integration within the East African region; geographical proximity to and inter-dependence between it and the Partner States; establishment and maintenance of a market driven economy; and social and economic policies being compatible with those of the Community.
Although Kenya, a chief crusader behind successful bids by DRC and South Sudan in the past, is yet to comment on Somalia’s intention to join the region, analysts say Nairobi will back Mogadishu’s bid.
“Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania all said favourable, keen to get Somalia into the EAC,” Rashid Abdi, an analyst on Horn of Africa and the Gulf, said.
