Business and Economic News
By Leo Odera Omolo Inn Kisumu City
The East African Community member states have been pushing for an agreement on cooperation in preventing and suppressing acts of piracy and armed robbery against merchant ships plying the Indian Ocean.
Regional Communication Ministers who attended last week meeting of the 7th Sect oral Council of Ministers responsible for Transport and Communication and Meteorology {TCM} held in Arusha,Tanzania, noted and discussed the serious economic and transportation impact for the region of the containing piracy off the Somali coast.
The Rwandan Minister for Infrastructure, Vincent Karega who chaired the m, directed the EAC secretariat to v agreement on cooperation in preventing and suppressing anti piracy and armed robbery against commercial and, merchant ships in line with recommendations of the International Maritime Organization..
The Council further directed the secretariat to develop proposal on the establishment of a regional maritime patrol unit in order to pool resources together and tap into the international goodwill currently available for funding such a unit.
Although EAC partner states regard the Indian Ocean and specifically the East African coastal waters as strategically important economic lifeline of the region, both in terms of providing the gateway for imports and exports as well because of the natural resources located in these areas, there is currently no harmonized position or strategy on the piracy menace.
Pirates captured in the act in this region have hitherto apprehended and prosecuted in Kenya courts.
The country has separately agreed with the US, EU, Britain, Canada, Denmark and China to accept Somali pirates. However, since March this year, Kenya refused to anymore pirates arrested in high seas, arguing that the burden should be shared out by the international community.
Fears and suspicion persist that arraign in these pirates in Kenyan courts could possibly attract international terrorists group to carry out revenging attack on Kenya’s key economic installations and other targets since some of the pirates are connected to the Islamic terrorists groups.
Again Kenya’s judicial system is notoriously slow and its prisons already overcrowded. The government officials have asked for additional support to ease the strain, but have not yet specified what is needed most.
The EU said recently that it would support the formation of an East African team that will review measures to tackle piracy in the Horn of Africa
The regional governments face a myriad challenges ranging from overloaded judicial system, lack of space to house the suspected pirates and language barrier in interpreting court proceedings.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com