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{
    "id": 887372,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/887372/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 262,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kajiado South, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Katoo ole Metito",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13239,
        "legal_name": "Janet Marania Teyiaa",
        "slug": "janet-marania-teyiaa"
    },
    "content": "Mount Kenya regional blocs, merging counties to bring the benefit of economies of scale. I think that is what has been extended to outside our borders. The countries that attended the meeting – I am talking about Kenya and Senegal which was the host – were Benin; Mali; Togo; Burkina Faso; Cote d’Ivoire; Gambia; Ghana; Sierra Leone; Nigeria; Niger; Liberia; Guinea; Uganda and Burundi. There were also representatives from the AU Commission, the East African Community Secretariat, ECOWAS Commission and ECOWAS Parliament. Also present in the meeting was also the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and civil society organisations. They are actually partnering with the AU on free movement programme as observers. The Protocol has some elements or clauses on free movement of persons, the right of residents and the right of establishment in Africa. That stems from Article 43(2) of the treaty establishing the African Economic Community, which was adopted in Abuja, Nigeria, a long time ago, on 3rd June 1991. Therefore, it is really a long history we are trying to fast track. Of course, that came into force on 12th May 1994. Therefore, the member states agreed to conclude a protocol on free movement of persons, the right of residents and the right of establishment. As I said earlier, the Protocol needs 15 ratifications to come into force. It has attracted 32 signatures, meaning that out of the 54 countries in Africa, 32 have signed, but only one has ratified. Your guess is as good as mine. That country is Rwanda. It is said that Rwanda has really set the pace for the other African countries. It is the only country that has ratified. Kenya signed this Protocol on 21st March 2018. I want to explain some of the salient provisions of the Protocol. One is about progressive realisation of free movement of persons, right of residents and right of establishment. The Protocol provides for the realisation of the aspirations in phases. In the first phase, the member states will be required to implement the provision on the right of entry and abolition of visa requirements. The provision on the right of residents and the right of establishment will be implemented in the second and third phases, respectively. The right of entry under the Protocol is that nationals of member states shall have the right to stay, move very freely and exit the territory of other member states for a maximum period of 90 days, in accordance with the procedures of the host member states. This is to facilitate member states as required. That will actually abolish the requirement of a visa as a precondition for entry into their territories. This means you can go from one member state to another very freely without the requirement of a visa for 90 days. You can remain in that country moving freely, of course, within the laws of the host member state for 90 days. Therefore, if you are from Senegal and you come to Kenya, you will only need your travel documents. You will not need a visa, if the two member states are signatories to this Protocol for a maximum of 90 days. The member states are also required to mutually recognise and exchange specimen of their valid travel documents. The Protocol further provides for the African passport and requires states to work closely with the AU Commission to facilitate the process towards the issuance of the African passport to their citizens. I am happy to report that in that consultative meeting, the Kenyan passport was being used as an example for both the regional integration and even for the AU passport. You can even see now the new generation passport which is written “East African Community - Kenya”. The specimen of our passport was the one being used as the best specimen for this AU passport or for any regional economic blocs. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}