Tanzania President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli’s historic visit to Uganda this week is expected to improve trade ties for Uganda, and to open a broader dialogue with the East African community as the region ushers in an oil boom.
It marks Magufuli’s second visit to Uganda, the first one being during the swearing-in ceremony of Museveni in May 2016.
“Pursuant to the commitment by their Excellencies to the implementation of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project, they laid a Cross-Border Mark Stone at Luzinga Village, Kyotera District where the pipeline will cross the two countries, and thereafter they addressed a rally at Kyotera District Headquarters grounds,” Sam Kuteesa, Uganda’s Foreign minister said.
The visit is also significant for the region’s state-run media and security, he said.
“In a cordial and friendly atmosphere, the two Heads of State held Official Talks at Masaka State Lodge on a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues. Their Excellencies also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Cooperation between Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation and Uganda Broadcasting Corporation as well as an MOU between the Uganda Police Force and the Tanzania Police Force on Security Matters.”
The Tanzanian ruling elite’s lukewarm stance to a political federation has trickled down to ordinary Tanzanians, Ugandan and regionally. The southern neighbors have the lowest support for a political federation. This can mainly be attributed to a strong sense of nationalism, land ownership, and negative stereotyping of their regional peers.
But on Friday, the two Presidents also noted with satisfaction the existing bonds of friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries and reiterated their commitment to strengthen them further. In this regard, they reviewed the areas of cooperation particularly in the sectors of energy, transport, trade, tourism and investment as well as cross-border matters.
They noted the progress made in implementation of the decisions made during the State Visit by President Museveni to Tanzania in February 2017; the Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) held in April 2017 in Arusha and the Ministerial meeting on cross-border issues held in July 2017 in Bukoba. Their Excellencies directed their respective Ministers to expeditiously implement decisions agreed upon as well as conclude and operationalize the various pending Memoranda of Understanding and other bilateral frameworks, before the next JPC to be hosted by Uganda.
Regarding cross-border energy projects, the Heads of State took note of the commencement of works on the Kikagati/Murongo Hydro Power project. They directed the respective Ministers to ensure that the project is completed on time.
They further directed that implementation of the Nangoma cross-border electrification project and the Nsongezi Hydro Power 35 MW project, be expedited to ease power problems and improve livelihoods of the citizens.
On the transport sector, they recalled that the two countries signed an MOU on Improving Ports, Inland Waterways and Railway services in July 2017 and directed the respective Ministers to fast track its implementation. They also directed that the new regional projects namely Kasulo – Kiake – Masaka road and Omukakorongo – Mugati – Mbarara be prioritized to ease access to the port of Dar-es-Salaam.
With regard to cross-border matters, Museveni and Magufuli directed the respective Ministers to expedite the joint verification exercise to establish validity of citizenship claims after the border reaffirmation exercise of 2003. They further directed that the boundary reaffirmation exercise should be undertaken and completed as agreed upon.
The EAC prides itself on being the most ambitious regional integration process in Africa. It should strive to succeed against all odds. This will provide a benchmark for other regional economic blocs to unite as outlined by the 1991 Abuja treaty and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 on continental integration.
Tanzania’s aim is to be a service hub for the region’s landlocked states. Bagamoyo is expected to be the biggest port in East Africa, rivalling Kenya’s Mombasa. It is expected to serve mainly Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, which have been relying on Mombasa.
The Tanga railway line will mainly serve inland Tanzania, but is eventually expected to connect to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.
On the East African Crude Oil Pipeline to be developed from Hoima to Tanga, Museveni and Magufuli noted that the Inter-Governmental Agreement had been ratified by both countries, and that the Front End Engineering Design Study had been completed. In this connection, they directed their respective Ministers to complete the remaining processes so that construction of the pipeline begins in 2018 and is expedited with a view to completion before the projected 2020 timeframe.
A gas pipeline between Tanzania and Uganda is going to be developed and the pipeline would go via Tanzania to the port of Tanga, and that Total had raised the $4bn needed to finance it.
Uganda, with 1.7bn barrels of recoverable oil reserves and a less developed economy than Kenya, has the most to gain from playing its neighbours off against each other to secure the best possible deal. However, oil industry analysts say it is likely to benefit most from sharing construction and running costs of a pipeline with Kenya.
Tanzania does not have any oil reserves, but Magufuli, has been keen to win the pipeline, partly because his own country has conspicuously failed to develop its own extensive gas reserves. A route through Tanzania would deliver 15,000 jobs during the construction.
The Kagera War
It is 38 years since the Tanzanian People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) marched on the streets of Kampala after a five-month war that toppled Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. In the first part of the series Kagera War, Sunday Monitor’s Henry Lubega traces the planning and execution of the war and brings you the personal accounts of the Tanzanian Generals who fought that war.
The relation between Uganda and Tanzania started going bad because Tanzania played host to more than 20,000 Ugandan exiles, according to documents in the TPDF museum.
The Uganda Argus newspaper of September 17, 1972, had earlier reported that at least 1,000 ‘Tanzanian troops’ had invaded the country, reaching 100 miles away from Kampala. They overran Kyotera, Kakuto and Kalisizo towns.
A strong response from the Amin government followed the attack. It started off by blaming the British government of supporting the invaders, before arresting a number of British nationals in Uganda.
On October 11, 1972, Amin announced that his troops had withdrawn six miles from the border and that fighting had ceased. A day later the Tanzanian Defence minister Edward Sokoine announced the withdrawal of the TPDF from the border area.
The Obote loyalists who had participated in the invasion were relocated deep inside northern Tanzania.
A former member of the Kikosi Maalum says they concentrated in the areas of Tabora where they went into Tobacco growing and charcoal burning from 1972 until 1978 when they were mobilised for the final battle that deposed Amin.
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