Regional Integration and Free Movement of Persons and Labour in the East African Community.
| dc.contributor.author | Ole-Sein, Nairimas | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-09-26T06:05:47Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-09-26T06:05:47Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-05 | |
| dc.description | A Research Thesis Submitted to the School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Arts in International Relations and Diplomacy of Kenyatta University, May 2024 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The Protocol on the EAC common market in 2010 provides for unrestricted flow of persons within the region. According to this protocol nationals of member states have the right to travel, reside, work and trade freely within the region. This is expected to happen under the full protection of the domestic laws of the host country without any discrimination or restrictions based on nationality. However there appears to be a discrepancy between what has been agreed on by member states, and the actual practice in some of these countries. This study examined how regional integration within the EAC has effected the free movement of persons and workers. This study set three objectives. To begin with, this study examined how the East African Community through the Common Market, has affected the free movement of persons and workers within the member states. Second, the extent to which East African integration has affected the access of Business licences for citizens of the member states was analysed. Finally, the challenges faced by citizens of the East African Community member states in accessing work permits were evaluated. Anchored on Andrew Moravcsik’s theory of liberal intergovernmentalism and Kenneth Waltz’s neorealist theory, this study argued that the state, being the most important actor in global politics, influences the foreign policy of states, in pursuit of its strategic interests. In this study, the target population was made up of businesspersons within the EAC and involved in cross-border trade, government officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Department of Immigration and Citizen Services, State Department for East African Community, and the East African Community Secretariat. Descriptive research design was used for the study. The researcher purposively selected 110 cross border traders and an additional 50 Government officials from the above-mentioned Government Departments and the East African Community. The respondents were selected based on their experience in the movement of persons across the borders of EAC member states, either as policy makers, policy implementers or individuals affected by the policies. Data from government officials was collected through oral interviews using an interview guide, while data from traders was collected through structured questionnaires. Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis, while quantitative data was analysed through tabulation of the mean and standard deviation. The study established that the East Africa Community through the Common Market has made it easier for citizens of EAC member states to travel to other member states as indicated by 70.9% of the respondents. Most of the respondents, 51.6% identified the abolition of visas and visa fees, had the greatest effect in making the free movement of people easier. The study also found that because of the EAC integration, business licences are easily accessible to citizens of EAC member states. The study found that the acquisition of Work Permits by citizens of EAC member states remains a challenge with 34.9% citing the high cost of documents, and 30.2% citing long tedious processes. The study recommends continued implementation of the visa-free regime for citizens of the East African Community as a way of encouraging the free movement of persons, the set-up of simplified and standardised procedures for application of business licenses and the full adherence by all member states to Article 10 of the East African Common Market Protocol on the Freedom of movement of Labour. The study suggests further research to examine how the movement of persons and workers has affected the growth of cross-border trade between the EAC member states. | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Kenyatta University | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/28871 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Kenyatta University | |
| dc.title | Regional Integration and Free Movement of Persons and Labour in the East African Community. | |
| dc.type | Thesis |