The Democratic Party Vice President, Fred Mukasa Mbidde, has said that East Africa still has strides to make towards achieving one political state under the East African Community (EAC).
Mbidde made these remarks while addressing journalists at the DP press conference on September 17, 2024, at the party headquarters at Balintuma Road in Rubaga division, Kampala.
Mbidde said that the EAC has achieved greatly when it comes to customs and the common markets, but issues have to do with having one leader—there is still a lot that is desired.
“The political federation where East Africa will become a single country will include ceding power; when you have a country where the leaders cannot relinquish power to their own children, then don’t expect to see this during your lifetime,” Mbidde said.
He further said that as Uganda is handling the political processes, there is a need for divine intervention, adding that God should intervene because these are things that are material and are completely unattainable without utilizing the supreme powers of God.
Mbidde also commented about having one currency as a region, saying that they have appended signatures on the monitory union and are now conducting research on how to go about it.
“We have businesses in East Africa with persons trading in forex bureaus who deal in exchange of different currencies; what happens when you have one currency? What is the business loss, and what are the accompanying advantages obtained through the announcement of single currency? Those are the questions we are asking to make sure East Africans benefit instead of losing from a common currency,” Mbidde added.
Mukasa Mbidde is a former Member of Parliament in the East African Legislative Assembly representing the Democratic Party and has had immense contribution in advocating for professional mobility, more especially allowing lawyers to practice freely in the entire region, an issue he says has been welcomed by many states save for Tanzania, which has been against the proposal, and this has in many ways disadvantaged many legal brains from engaging across the region.
The East African Community is made up of eight countries; currently among them are Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, the DRC, South Sudan, and recently added Somalia.
