The most assured Sign that Something is GOOD for you is when you see your Enemy NOT happy about it.
Infact there is no better way of telling what is good for you than by studying your Enemy or Competitor’s reaction to that plan, state or proposal.
Natives of the 3 African Nations of Uganda, Kenya and Tanganyika, now a ‘Mandate’ under the League of Nations after Germany was forced to relinquish her colonial imperial territories to the Allied forces which formed the first League of Nations after the First world War.
It should also be noted by the Pan African planner and thinker that the British begun the process of Uniting Uganda and Kenya as well as sorrounding territories of Central Africa into one Administrative Unit as early as 1900, whereby in 1902, the Uganda Railway which was administered under one common administrator was made. Just 3 years later in 1905, an East African Currency board was set up to issue Bank Notes for the two territories and in 1911, a Postal union was established between Uganda and Kenya.
Ofcourse it’s EASY to Unite to grab what is Not Your own we shall suppose, or is it !??
Though Native Africans have since failed to accelerate this process but rather mismanaged it to a level whereby all we see is Per Diem eating by toothless So-Called East African Community Administrators, those who have had the time to live in Kenya can observe how these societies are merely a Distant copy of eachother in all dimensions even to the most rural areas. This is because the Earliest administrators begun shaping their modernity using the same everything you can imagine. Tanganyika, a Former colony of Germany often came in late, not because she was more interested/or not in the Union, but because the terms of the MANDATE delayed everything.
The Queen’s Government was not permitted under the Mandate of Tangayika to Involve the Territory in any form of POLITICAL federation, but only Economic, Security or a sort of a Federation not linked directed to Political authority. Article 10 of the Mandate Agreement for Tanganyika authorized Britain to incorporate the territory into a customs, fiscal and administrative union or federation with adjacent territories under Britain’s administration, provided measures adopted did not infringe on the provisions of the Mandate e.g ‘No Political assimilation or disintegration etc).
It may surprise many but Zambia (Northern Rhodesia) and Nyasaland (Malawi) were initially part of the Arrangement as Britain aimed to create a sustainable powerful United economic and Military front in the region, thanks to the Growth of a Violent Germany. the Native Resistance in Malawi and today’s Zambia was so intense even up to Colonial Governor Levels, wherever British Governor of those Nations Begun ‘dodging council meetings’ in unity with the Native Locals. Hehehe. The Queen was not Happy. Many were changed but whoever appeared fell into the Native trap of ‘No East Africa union”. It was later concluded that only 3 East African Nations were really interested in the Union, but Tanganyika was being held back by The Mandate.
Today, where we have No Mandate in Tanganyika, I can still observe that there is Native resistance and to me the Reason is the same.
The East African ADMINS of today may be Different Governors, Black and NATIVE, but they have failed to elaborate or even demonstrate to the Natives the vivid tangible Benefits of the Would-Be EAST AFRICAN NATION. All we hear is news of another Nation has JOINED the EAC? Joined what to do what? Why can’t we see anything tangible in this Unity. Why can’t the Governors just agree on ONE thing that is fully implemented be it just Management of all East African Airline systems?
If any of them were serious, why can’t 2 of them Just BEGIN like Kenya and Ugandan British Governors did in 1902 as they waited for Tanzania’s mandate to Expire. If Zambia and Malawi Don’t want , they they are Left to GO wherever. …. WHO is Better off today, Those who Tried to Remain in East Africa or Zambia and Malawi???.
Many questions to ask.
But why did the British governors Decide in Just 3 Years to Have COMMON Currency and Working Economic Union To serve THEIR common Interests (Military, Global Trade, Research, Transport ) YET the BLACK governors of Today like Gen Gen Y.K Museveni, Mr William Ruto and Madam Salma Suluhu can’t? These ‘Whys” are happening even before we bring in the “3rd Body Problem” of Rwanda and Congo, Somalia etc.
From 1900-1947,
Several successive committees and reports indicated that MOST (majority) Natives were either not prepared, not interested or did not understand the Idea of a Wider East African Union of Nations. Suppressed overtime, intentionally impoverished and oppressed by decades of Colonialism and slavery as well as brutal extraction of their resources followed by successive genocides, the Natives of Africa were, and are still indifferent not only to Concepts such as Nationalism and Pan Africanism but even simple matters such as education and Health. If they resisted any foreign Interventions on their Lands, they were often massacred en-masse, so did they even have a choice in this Original East African Unification strategy of the Colonizers and their Enemies-once- partners of Europe?
Native Africans of East Africa were recorded to have vividly rejected the idea of an East African Union as it made no sense or offered no direct benefit to their rural state of servitude to whomever thought they were the Owners of Africa then. Even so, the Colonial Masters kept pushing and pushing until where we are Today.
The arrogant and brutal as well as greedy Colonial Imperialists simply planned to Create an East African union to Benefit their empires, by creating unification laws that enabled easy flow of resources and Neo-colonial slave laborers through their captured territories of East and Central Africa and then beyond. The East African Community (1902-1961) is therefore the Most advanced form of Neo-Colonialism (Minyang 2024)
This wild and rushed unification Idea therefore as proposed had never and has never been a concept of a United East Africa as desired by the Natives to benefit Natives but the Neo-Colonialists who were aware of the eventual demise of Control due to ‘internal wrangles” and economic failure at Home. Always borrowing their guts out to Expand overseas but producing nothing sustainable, the British, even today in 2024, they behave the same.
Between 1928-1929, the Hilton-Young Commission reporting stated that “the time was not yet ripe for any Sudden change”. Other successive reports such as the Ormsby Report stated the same. The same is today, I state.
However, after the Second World War (1947-1961), Britain as an Empire had had enough with her Adventurism at direct Colonialism. It seems the Earth has a Limit to which human Capacity can exhibit her greed and cruelty to nature as they consume and grow obese, unlike the beasts and birds of the blue sky that seems to eat (consume/exploit) only what is enough for today
They were now BANKRUPT, in debt to everyone including themselves, and could not sustain the High costs of rebuilding what had been destroyed elsewhere by two world wars. They needed to concentrate on rebuilding their London First. So we are not sure if they ever plan to Return after London is rebuilt as she has never.
To compensate and rehabilitate all her Native Imperial Soldiers sourced from several colonies in the West Indies and the Africas who served in WWII,,, leaving the Soldier to ‘pay himself” like they did for IDI AMIN, Jomo Kenyatta, Milton OBOTE, Julius NYERERE etc and RUNNING AWAY from Africa was the Safest and easiest option to avoid a total Collapse of Britain to new emerging and competing European powers and the USA.
It’s at this Point around 1947 that Britain begun designing more ‘sincere’ East African Unification laws that were aimed at benefitting Majorly Natives, to the Total DISGUST of European Settlers in these territories. Kenyan White settlers kicked and beefed.
Just like in Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia, the Colonial settler (not the master) was not ready to Leave. Observing that the East African High Commission which came into POWER on January 1948 had real power, the Protests kept growing from 1947 on-wards, but the Queen Kept her Position.
This body (EAHC) was meant to be a ‘Corporate body with Perpetual succession’. The Europeans detested the Level of Power that the New arrangement had for the Natives to Govern East African affairs. Infact, they said it “did not guarantee a European Majority in Power” and that is why it was a bad idea. This protest helped to Embolden the Natives of East Africa to adopt a Union faster than earlier.
The Negative Branding of the Concept by the Colonial settlers boosted the Pan African Spirit therefore.
But unbeknownst to the European Settlers, their Queen and all other Former Imperialists had Lost the battle of Expansionism at their own Weight and were fleeing, leaving everything in the hands of a United East African Inxeginous Population with an ambiguous representation of “all races”, so they claimed.
East African Natives will therefore Never be supportive of Any Foreign Led or Related Idea,,,,,unless they See a STRANGER Rejecting it and complaining about it as ONLY “African Native Benefitting”. This implies that if ‘Germany doesn’t attack or threaten to attack the East African Region”, or ANY of her “Governors” directly even today,, the Natives and even the Governors have no ACTIVE Common Foreign Motivator of an Enemy to Force a Union.
East African Nations are therefore So self-sustaining, Secure individually and prospering that attempting a New Standard of Governace over them may not be convincing unless there is an IGNITOR.
Rwanda which grows at an average of 8-9% cannot Join a Union unless it shall guarantee 12-15% as a member of the Union for her own People.
Why should Kenyans with the 4th most stable Economic and Currency In African abandon her Position to appease South Sudan with a Weak Economy. What More do they gain by Relinquishing this Authority and Power to a Common East African Authority? This is how Unifiers Must be thinking if they ever want to Unite these Regions therefore.
Uganda which has one of the Most Powerful Militaries in the Region backed by Rwanda and Tanzanian Forces, and with Militaries alliance with Russia, America and even China may see little to relinquish this Military advantage to a Wider Weaker Military system, as another example, unless the Ugandan Military Faces a Threat that can only be defeated by a Union of East African forces. In this Case, Pan African Unionists Must “Pray we are Attacked” by a powerful Foreign Enemy, Again, soon or someday, or else, East African Administrative, Economic and Military Unity may never RETURN.
You will observe on that day that, that we are under attack, that Uganda is not landlocked and that they indeed have a Port in Kenya. That Kisumu is still part of Uganda and vice versa. On that day, you will know that Lake Victoria is One Lake that has and Need no borders when it comes to DEFENSE of Any of the 3 Nations. But WHO or which Nation OUTSIDE Africa is Willing VOLUNTEER to Dare and ATTACK any East African Nation or All of them at once? Germany could and tried but See what the ‘partners’ of East African Did to her. . For trying to attack East Africa. I bet the whole World is aware now what happens to you when you attack East Africa as a People or region. Hehehe
These African states each still maintain a Foreign Military Partnership in the Same Powers, whereby No Nation can Attack Kenya and Survive the Wrath of the British and Americans even today. Uganda still maintains a depper British Culture than USA and even Canada or Australia and her historical Monuments, national features etc are in British Nomenclature and Uganda Natives have NO issue with this, a WEIRD behaviour of a former Colony now claiming to be Free and Independent e.g Lake Victoria, Lake Edward, Lake George, Murchison Falls, Elizabeth National Park, William Street, Colleville Street etc. The British Government of today is therefore as ATTACHED emotionally, and even not even more physically to Uganda (and East Africa) as she was in 1902 and any Foreign Enemy of Uganda would be facing Great Great Britain and allies if they ever attacked Uganda. So Union by this way is also a challenge, must as we can still keep hoping and praying for her to arise like Germany did as we were enslaving on African Plantations in Africa.
The British Everlasting hand is evident in their Investment strategies where Uganda is still one of French and British’s top Investment and Settlement Destinations.
Even when Uganda Falls, as In the case of 1965-1985, the British have always been around trying their best to do whatever they can in Uganda for Uganda, but for their own Sake.
Now, in conclusion, just like Germany (part 1) and the Third Reich by Adolf Hitler et al did and “SAVED Native east Africans From Slavery and Dominion by attacking the British in them” and hence the end of Colonialism and the beginning of an easier to defeat Capital led Neo-colonialism which thrives very well in a disunited Africa, we pray for the Growth of another Germany (or adversary of Britain and USA) or whoever who can Attack the ‘British and American inside our Black Native Governors and ourselves” once again. Then the Final Stage of the Pan African Revolution will have BEGUN. Till then, all you hear about East African Unity is Lugambo only. Nobody is Uniting and is even Interested in Uniting with anybody for NO particular Clear stated and Tested Reason whatsoever.
Secondly, we pray for someone (a factor) to begin complaining about and harrassing East African Native People and their Plans for Unity. Anyone. Or even persecuting them for this. You will testify how they will “behave as ONE”. But who or what shall this be?
Prof Makombo Jago -Minyang Ndahura.
Global Strategist,
Philosopher and Pan African Historian of
-ACUP and Asst RDC of Masindi
