EALA adopts resolution to urge the EAC Partner States to establish the East African Community Railway Authority(EACRA)
A RESOLUTION OF THE ASSEMBLY URGING THE EAC PARTNER STATES TO ESTABLISH THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY RAILWAY AUTHORITY (EACRA)
WHEREAS Article 89 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community provides that in order to promote the achievement of the objectives of the Community as set out in Article 5 of this Treaty, the Partner States undertake to evolve co-ordinated, harmonized and complimentary transport and communications policies; improve and expand the existing transport and communication links; and establish new ones as a means of furthering the physical cohesion of the Partner States, so as to facilitate and promote the movement of traffic within the Community;
AND WHEREAS in view of the fact that the ultimate objective is to have a common transport policy; Article 89 sets out the steps to be taken, while Article 91 provides that the Partner States agree to establish and maintain coordinated railway services that would efficiently connect the Partner States within the Community and, where necessary, to construct additional railway connections;
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that in implementing the Treaty provisions, the second EAC Development Strategy 2006 – 2010 was adopted; with regard to Railways, with the main objectives of the strategy in this regard being: to assess the state of restructuring of railways in the five Partner States in areas of ownership, management, infrastructure, financing and investment, national legislation and human resources; and to recommend a harmonized approach towards restructuring of the railways in the region and possible areas of cooperation during the restructuring process;
RECOGNISING that the railways of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania play an important and critical role not only in the economic development and social environment of these countries, but they also provide an access to the ports of Mombasa and Dar-Es-Salaam for the landlocked countries of Southern Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia thereby ensuring the transport of goods at competitive rates, supporting the development of industries and the creation of jobs and providing safe and efficient transport of commuters and passengers;
FURTHER RECOGNISING that after many years of decline, the railway sector and associated rail marine services have lost their potential to play an important role in the future development of the EAC, particularly for long distance freight and bulk transport, but also for urban transport in major cities and for medium distance intercity passenger transport;
NOTING that the railways have lost significant market to trucks over the past years as a result of a long series of problems which contributed to deteriorating services to a point where many shippers had no choice but to use trucks to get their goods to market;
CONSIDERING that the East African Railways Master Plan was a directive of the EAC Summit of Heads of State in April 2004 to link the region and neighbouring countries for efficient trade;
APPRECIATING that the East African Community under the 2006-2010 Strategic Development Plan has completed the long awaited East African Railway Master Plan;
NOTING with dissatisfaction that the East African Railway Master Plan does not provide for a joint authority to manage the railway systems in the region;
CONSIDERING that a joint East African Community Railway Authority will result into a more coordinated and speedy implementation of the East African Railway Master Plan;
AND NOTING FURTHER that the to be re-established East African Community Railway Authority has the potential to more than triple the current handlings over the next 20 years while improving the railway infrastructure and rolling stock; it has the potential not only to regain market share lost to trucks with improved services, but can also grow by capturing the traffic that will be available as a result of new initiatives, industries and mining developments in the respective catchment areas which are being promoted by the Northern and Central Corridor Transit Transport Coordination Authorities;
NOW THEREFORE, THIS ASSEMBLY DO RESOLVE TO:
Urge the EAC Partner States to cede the powers in relation to the Railway sector under Articles 89 and 91 of the Treaty respectively to a regional authority,
Urge the EAC Partner States in the spirit of East Africanness, to establish the East African Community Railway Authority to manage the planning, development, implementation and monitoring of the integrated rail system in the region.
I beg to move.
MOVED BY: HON. MARGARETH NANTONGO ZZIWA
SECONDED BY: HON. JANETH MMARI
