EAC urged to exempt South Sudan nationals from visa payments in East Africa

January 22, 2020 Newsbeat

Ter Manyang Gatwech, CPA National Coordinator, speaks to Radio Miraya in Juba (Photo: profile)

January 22nd, 2020 (SSNN)—The Center for Peace and Advocacy, an independent advocacy group, urges the East African Legislative Assembly to consider waiving South Sudan’s nationals from visa fees when traveling in East African countries, particularly Uganda and Kenya.

The call comes after lawmakers of East African Legislative Assembly held a meeting in Juba on January 20, 2020.

Ter Manyang Gatwech, the National Coordinator of the CPA says that other nationals of East African Community States including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda do not require visas to travel to the EAC Member States. “It’s time for Honorable Council of Ministers, specifically Hon Olivier Nduhungirehe of Rwanda to speed up the process in order for all South Sudanese ordinary citizens to have the privileges like other citizens within the East African Community.

Hon Paul Musamali who represents Uganda in the meeting stated that: “However, my position is that EALA passed a resolution in September 2018 sponsored by Hon. Kim Gat Ruot who represented South Sudan and myself, urging all partner states that are charging visas and work permit fees should be abolished in order for a smooth working relationship within the EAC member states. It’s one year down the road, in February 2020, the EALA is going to task to chair of the council of ministers of East Africa.”

Hon Olivier Nduhungirehe of Rwanda explains that, “Majority of South Sudanese people in Uganda and Kenya face a lot of challenges. Uganda introduce what we called “student pass” which requires a lot of bureaucratic systems from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uganda and Kenya keep pesky South Sudanese citizens all the times in Kenya.”

Kenyans and Ugandan nationals work with both national and international NGOs, while South Sudan citizens residing in Uganda and Kenya are not permitted to work in their countries. The EAC must provide equal and fair opportunities for all member states in order for us to live in harmony and peaceful coexistence

“There are protocols that are in place to be implemented, and South Sudanese will be exempted from paying visa fees, in the same way, South Sudan will not charge the East African Community members to go to Juba or any other part of the country,” said a South Sudanese Diplomatic Representative, Jimmy Deng Makuac, during an interview with Eye Radio last year”.

“This will be sometime early next year, it might be January or February, and it just depends on the implementation of these protocols.”