The Secretary-General of the East African Community, Peter Mutuku Mathuki, has appealed to citizens of partner states to endorse the COVID-19 vaccination.
He lamented that the resistance to COVID-19 vaccination has delayed the economic recovery after the virus aftermath.
Mathuki made the remarks while addressing the staff of EAC organs and institutions saying synergy among partner states and stakeholders was the most effective approach to fight the pandemic.
He encouraged collective efforts to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic through a huge turnout for vaccination and that those already vaccinated should go for booster shots.
The EAC Secretary-General stressed that a swift response to vaccination could bolster efforts to jumpstart regional economies damaged by the virus.
“One of the most gigantic challenges of our time is how to manage our region with the current global pandemic.
“It is a daunting task to bring everyone on board in addressing COVID-19 related challenges, specifically to have a common understanding and appreciation of the risks, and to comply with preventive, containment, and mitigation measures. I encourage that we pull together, notwithstanding that the situation is worsening with the emergence of the Omicron variant,” said Dr. Mathuki.
“We continue to operate in a challenging environment of COVID-19, which has and continues to affect every organisation and family. As a result of COVID-19, the EAC as a region has lost several leaders and citizens.”
He stated that the vaccination certificates would be factored into travels.
The Secretary-General lauded the partner states for their plan to equip their systems with an integrated EACPass. The EACPass will track negative COVID-19 test results and vaccination certificates across all the borders of the EAC partner states to ease regional trade and cross-border travel.
He directed the staff not to forget their duty of assisting partner states to overcome socio-economic and political challenges by developing policies, strategies, guidelines, and systems to find solutions to the challenges.
Mathuki commended the achievements of EAC organs and institutions in 2021.
He said the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) held eight sittings last year and passed several bills, including “The East African Community Integrity and Anti-Corruption Bill, 2021.”
EACPass adoption
Yesterday, the EAC ministers of transport and health held a multi-sectoral meeting and adopted the East African Community Pass (EACPass) to facilitate intra-EAC trade.
The EACPass will ensure verification of COVID-19 test certificates and the vaccination status of travelers, which will be shared by all the partner states through this system.
Mathuki said there were concerns about impasse at the border between Uganda and Kenya, which benefits the other partner states, including the yet to be approved Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“Harmonisation of COVID-19 charges and coordinated waiting time for COVID-19 results is critical to facilitate business continuity and ease the cost of doing business,” Mathuki said.
The EACPass will make sure that those with negative COVID-19 test results and those carrying vaccination cards are allowed to reduce time wasted at the border points.
“The EACPass is directly integrated with all six partner states’ central depository (national laboratories), and only nationally accredited laboratories are approved to carry out PCR COVID-19 tests for travellers,” he explained.
The tests will be performed in each partner state as the PCR negative results are sent to the EACPass so that they can be digitally accessed and verified at any entry or exit point in the region. The accredited laboratories are said to have been made ready and the process of sharing digital certificates will start soon.
“The piloting of EACPass has started in the Republic of Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi, while the other partner states are finalising the internal processes to start the piloting of the same,” Mathuki said.
Labour mobility
In November last year, the East African Community (EAC) and the East African Trade Union Confederation (EATUC) agreed to solve the challenges of labour mobility and employment in the region.
Dr. Peter Mutuku Mathuki, the EAC Secretary-General, appealed to the EATUC to speed up the finalising and implementation of the draft EAC Labour Migration Policy.
“Once finalised, the policy will guide laws, policies, and regulations on labour migration within and outside the region,” Mathuki said.
According to Secretary-General Mathuki, the directors in charge of labour will meet in February 2022 to scrutinise the draft policy and recommend it be adopted by the EAC Council of Ministers.
“We urge EATUC to also contribute to fast-tracking the finalisation and operationalisation of the Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRA) for professionals to move freely within the region,” he added.
EATUC Chairperson Peter Werikhe stressed the need to form the Council of Ministers on Labour and Migration to hold meetings to address labour, employment and migration issues.
“We also call on EAC to involve all relevant stakeholders in its EAC recovery plans and strategies post-COVID-19 to ensure that the decent work agenda is enshrined,” he said.