Burundi enters EAC
open-handed

MY PEOPLE: President Nkurunziza addressing local people in Ngozi, his home area

Burundi is a member of the East African Community (EAC). Geresom Musamali recently caught up with the Burundi President, Pierre Nkurunziza at Kilemba Lycee (secondary school) in Ngozi Province, to discuss the new prospects opened by the country’s entry into the community...

QUESTION: Briefly comment on the relations between Burundi and Uganda
Answer: To begin with, we are currently (mid-February) hosting a delegation of nine ministers from Uganda. This is a good indicator of the relations between the two countries because this is the largest ministerial delegation to visit us ever since we came out of the war. We must also remember that Uganda was very instrumental in the Burundi peace negotiations and the implementation of the cease fire agreement. That is another indicator of the cordial relations between us. There have been other innumerable occasions when Uganda has come to our assistance. I should therefore say we have excellent relations.

Q: How is Burundi adjusting to membership of the EAC? What is making the process easier or more difficult?
A: We are extremely happy that our country is now a member of the EAC. Burundi is going to take full advantage of this membership to enhance our peace and begin on a path to development. The challenge is now for us to prepare ourselves for the task of keeping pace with other members of the community. I would not say we are facing any major hardships in adjusting to the community because the other sister members are always willing to help us get along, by giving us advice.

Q: Lake Tanganyika is a very big resource to which Burundi partially has access. What are you going to do to ensure that some of the benefits spill over into other EAC countries?
A: One of our priorities is to develop tourism on this lake. The other is to develop the fisheries resources, for export as well as for regional nourishment. We have two unique types of fish in the water mass. One is called sangala (the Lake Tanganyika salmon) and the other is mukeke. It is our hope that while Ugandans may enjoy the Nile Perch, they will also want to taste our alternative and judge the difference. But this lake can also be a great transport highway. Bujumbura is a port on the lake. If we improved the port infrastructure, Ugandans, Congolese and Sudanese would use this route for their import and export trade with southern African countries, cutting costs and time using the Indian and Atlantic oceans.

Q: What do you hope to get from EAC in return?
A: A lot. I can only mention foodstuffs, building and scholastic materials.

Thank you for sparing us your valuable moments.
You are welcome. And thank you too for coming.

President Nkurunziza meets the Uganda ministerial delegation

Burundi countryside, Pres. Nkurunziza’s social life

By Geresom Musamali
The Ugandan ministerial delegation to Burundi was going to pay a courtesy call on President Pierre Nkurunziza one Saturday. I went along. The Ugandan ambassador to Rwanda and Burundi, Richard Kabonero, gave me a lift. I was mistaken in thinking that we were heading for the State House. We were actually going to meet Nkurunziza in his home village in Ngozi Province, over 200km outside the capital, Bujumbura.

Soon, we left the city along the road to Rwanda, then started climbing the steep slopes that form the escapement of the Western Rift Valley. Eventually, we were high enough in the hills to peer at the beautiful Bujumbura skirting the shores of Lake Tanganyika.

ATTRACTIVE SCENERY: The bends in the tarmac road to Ngozi going through rich vegetation

At every bridge we came to and every critical bend in the road, there were three or four soldiers posted – a reminder that war is not completely over in the heart of the central African country. We drove up to Kayanza Province, on the border with Rwanda, then turned east for about 40km on another tarmac road to Ngozi town.

At a humble homestead in Ngozi, we learnt that the president had gone to Kilemba Commune, yet another 20km away on a dusty road. That is when I truly appreciated the beauty and fertility of Burundi. The greenery of coffee, mixed with bananas, beans and maize made a deep impression on me. My first impressions of Kilemba was the goat meat and roast bananas that made me feel as if I was back at home. Earlier, I had tasted a cassava leaves soup.

I went around Kilemba Lycee and found one of the classes in a mathematics lesson. Ah! They were using Nytil Picfare exercise books. That is how far trade between Uganda and Burundi has gone. In the play fields, there were several sporting activities, including jogging, volleyball and football. “The president will be playing soccer with us this evening,” said an enthusiastic old man, anxious to practise his English.

Throughout Burundi, there is always some attempt to practise English and Kiswahili and when compared to our really poor knowledge of French, I found the Burundians a linguistically-versatile people.
The old man explained that the born-again President Nkurunziza owns a football club in which he personally plays. “We like our president. He is young and energetic. We think he will lead us out of our past problems,” said the old man. I was marvelling at some dancing troupe when the president suddenly appeared. He bumped into some people and shook hands with them, on his way to the table where the Ugandan ministers were seated.

The State minister for regional co-operation, Isaac Musumba, was the leader of the delegation. Other state ministers were Peter Lokeris (Primary Education), Ruth Nankabirwa (Defence), Simon D’Ujanga (energy), Hope Mwesigye (Local Government), Jennifer Namuyangu (Water), Sezi Mbaguta (Public Service), Matia Kassaija (Internal Affairs) and Richard Nduhura (Health). President Nkurunziza was impressed by the team. “Since Burundi returned to peace, no country has sent such a large ministerial delegation to see us,” he said.