Editor,
We all know about that expression  when elephants fight. It was good to see the body language of President John Magufuli and his host President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The visit by the Tanzanian leader will hopefully begin to squash those elements that want to divide the East African Community’s teo biggest economies.
It is true that there are major differences between Kenya and Tanzania and I think most are a hangover from the 1960s and 1970s. But the EAC just cannot afford to have these two at loggerheads.
Dar es Salaam port and Mombasa port are currently involved in fierce campaign to maintain and get new customers from the hinterland.
This is good because it means management of both facilities will be constantly kept on their toes and customer service will keep rising.
What I hope the two presidents agreed during their talks was that the EAC should not waste time and effort bickering amongst ourselves and instead look out for competitors outside the region.
Integration is a great idea under the circumstances we are in. But the EAC’s competitive edge can only get sharper if we work closer together.
Francis Thuo
Nairobi, Kenya
Source: Business Week

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