Should Somalia be allowed to join East African Community?

[Meru]

By WILLIAM OCHIENG
Posted Monday, August 8 2011 at 18:41
In a paper which I read at a recent conference at Maseno University, I argued that as we prepare to admit the new independent state of South Sudan into the East African Community, we should not forget Somalia.

I argued that geographically shielded from the African continent by Kenya and Ethiopia, Somalia will forever be our headache until we absorb it into the fold of her East African neighbours.
This, in fact, was the point which Tom Mboya and Julius Nyerere made in 1962 when they flew to Mogadishu to persuade Somalia to join the East African Community.
But things did not work out, because at the time, the Somalis were emotionally involved in the agitation for a Greater Somalia.
They wanted Kenya’s North Eastern Province and Ethiopia’s Ogaden Province to be ceded to them.
Nevertheless, when Somalia is confronted by tragedies, Kenya and Ethiopia are usually their immediate centres of refuge.
Currently, the Somalis are faced with one of the harshest droughts in their history. About 450,000 of them have fled from their country, with roughly 1,400 refugees arriving daily at Dadaab refuge camp, despite the fact that officially, Kenya’s border with Somalia is closed.
Interestingly, two very intelligent colleagues at the conference objected to my suggestion that Somalia should join the East African Community.

According to them, the Somalis are quarrelsome and brutal terrorists. They are difficult to live with and to do business with.

“They do not pay rent and they do not pay debt. If you insist to be paid, they physically fight you,” one of the two alleged.

Besides, the Somalis come from a dry and barren country, which is going to add no value to the East African Community, whereas the South Sudanese have oil and very fertile country for agriculture.
My rebuttal was that such views were inaccurate and laced with propaganda. We, in Kenya, live with Somalis in North Eastern Province, in Eastleigh, in Mombasa, in Migori, Kitale and Kisumu, and there is no evidence that they are quarrelsome, brutal and disruptive.
Besides, allowing Somalis to join the East Africa Community does not mean they will be allowed to stream into Kenya.
As for their economic value, the Somalis have got plenty of meat, plus hides and skins, from their livestock, and they have demonstrated that they can be keen businessmen and investors.
But the above are not the only issues to consider with regard to the admission of Somalia into the East African Community.
We are also concerned with the stability of Eastern Africa, which we cannot achieve with the Somalis on their own along the Indian Ocean coastline.
In any case, what was the justification for admitting the Rwandans and Burundians in the community and keeping the Somalis out? There is still room for one or two more East African states in the community.
We have in mind Ethiopia and North Sudan. We also know that the Democratic Republic of Congo is keen to join and so is Eritrea. Shall we consider all these and leave Somalia out?
But apart from considering our neighbours for the East African Community, we should never forget the great dream of continental African union, which our founding pan-Africanists, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda and poet-cum-statesman Leopold Sedar Senghor had in mind.
These African giants saw the continent’s future through a global perspective. They envisaged a united and self-sufficient Africa as the ultimate objective of all independence struggles.
They saw an Africa strong enough to prevent military dictatorship, and one able to resist multinationals and other neo-colonialist forces and to create prosperity for all its people. This is still our continental goal and dream.
http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/-/ ... index.html

Prof Ochieng’ teaches History at Maseno University.

[Knight of Wisdom]

With all due respect, Meru....why wouldn't you wrap up the East African Community bullshit and shove it up your ass.

[Meru]

With all due respect, Meru....why wouldn't you wrap up the East African Community bullshit and shove it up your ass.

why why why??my dream is for Somalia to join EAC, Do you want Somalia to continue being isolated?

[AhmedBoqor]

With all due respect, Meru....why wouldn't you wrap up the East African Community bullshit and shove it up your ass.

why why why??my dream is for Somalia to join EAC, Do you want Somalia to continue being isolated?

Apparently KOW is a Clan-nationalist, so if he doesn't like his own people in Somalia, he sure as hell wouldn't want anything to do with EAC.

[bareento]

Greetings Comrade Meru,

I think it makes more sens if first the east African community becomes stronger economically and deepen its unity, then u can consider adding aliens.
Everything is much easier in a culturally homogenous environment. You guys share common culture and religion and you do not have hatred for each other and historically u were not enemys.That helps a lot.
Besides I believe it makes more sens that Somalia, or at least Northern Somalia be economically linked with Ethiopia. They can be the link between rich arab world and negro africa.I am personnaly much interested in reviving the age old, Harar-Zeyla, and Harar-Berbera routes.

B.

[XaliimoFarax]

why why why??my dream is for Somalia to join EAC, Do you want Somalia to continue being isolated?

Yes Isolation is good. Leave us ALONE

[Meru]

Greetings Comrade Meru,

I think it makes more sens if first the east African community becomes stronger economically and deepen its unity, then u can consider adding aliens.
Everything is much easier in a culturally homogenous environment. You guys share common culture and religion and you do not have hatred for each other and historically u were not enemys.That helps a lot.
Besides I believe it makes more sens that Somalia, or at least Northern Somalia be economically linked with Ethiopia. They can be the link between rich arab world and negro africa.I am personnaly much interested in reviving the age old, Harar-Zeyla, and Harar-Berbera routes.

B.

Ayatollah bareento, those ancient trading routes will do you no good, economically the horn is a dead zone, i wont advise you guys to trade with Arabs who economy is oil dominated and not diverse cant help. as for Ethiopia and Somalia becoming linked you know that is a pipe dream akin to a camel passing through a needle"s eye. ethiopia and Somalia are eternal enemies maybe if you talk about oromia becoming independent and working with Somalia, but the tigray and amhara will never allow that

[bareento]

Crusader Meru, I beg to differ!
There is fundamental change that took place in the horn, and that heavily impacts the politics of the region:
Ethio is land locked and has to diversify trade roots...and somalis being shrewd business men ...

As for somalis hating Ethios, it is true! but they pretty much hate everybody...believe me I grew up with them, they dont hate more ethios than they hate arabs or kenyans or say Mongols

Business is the international language everybody understands

As for the horn being an economically dead zone and the arabs being ...as a crusader u know yourself that these are rhetoric postures that need no answer.

B.

[Meru]

ayatolla bareento, this is the ultimate union of ass shakers and boob bouncers ,what other greater union can we have other than EAC , i am surprised you of all other people can oppose this great crusade to bring all these Bantus together

[bareento]

Behold unmatched Crusader!

I am always for unity!
Oftentimes in Africa, Unity is heralded and then dismissed! I want strong unity based on rationality!
Ultimately once u guys get stronger, at first stage South Ethiopia and south Somalia might ultimately join u! then

My point i,s dont blow up EAC by trying to incorporate somalia

B.

[Meru]

Behold unmatched Crusader!

I am always for unity!
Oftentimes in Africa, Unity is heralded and then dismissed! I want strong unity based on rationality!
Ultimately once u guys get stronger, at first stage South Ethiopia and south Somalia might ultimately join u! then

My point i,s don't blow up EAC by trying to incorporate somalia

B.

yes i know Somalis are a problematic lot, they can bring the entire EAC down with them, so i agree with you there, but the main benefit is that EAC can acquire more manpower in terms of labor to work for the factories and they can benefit from low wages.

[XaliimoFarax]

[ but the main benefit is that EAC can acquire more manpower in terms of labor to work for the factories and they can benefit from low wages.

Good luck.......unless the Somalis owning the factories

[uglybrother]

What are the benefits to that? Is Ethiopia in there, if so I already see a problem.

[abdisamad3]

With all due respect, Meru....why wouldn't you wrap up the East African Community bullshit and shove it up your ass.

[abdisamad3]

Behold unmatched Crusader!

I am always for unity!
Oftentimes in Africa, Unity is heralded and then dismissed! I want strong unity based on rationality!
Ultimately once u guys get stronger, at first stage South Ethiopia and south Somalia might ultimately join u! then

My point i,s don't blow up EAC by trying to incorporate somalia

B.

yes i know Somalis are a problematic lot, they can bring the entire EAC down with them, so i agree with you there, but the main benefit is that EAC can acquire more manpower in terms of labor to work for the factories and they can benefit from low wages.

This nigga,