HARMONISATION OF LAWS IN THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY The State of Affairs with Comparative Insights from the European Union and other Regional Economic Communities Funded by Volkswagen Foundation HARMONISATION OF LAWS IN THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY The State of Affairs with Comparative Insights from the European Union and other Regional Economic Communities Edited by Johannes Döveling, Hamudi I. Majamba, Richard Frimpong Oppong, Ulrike Wanitzek TGCL Series 5 2018 Published by LawAfrica Publishing (K) Ltd. Top Plaza, 3rd Floor Kindaruma Road, (Off Ngong Road) P.O. Box 4260-00100 GPO Nairobi, Kenya Wireless: +254 20 249 5067 Cell: +254 708 898 189 Fax: +254 20 249 5067 Email: [email protected] Website: www.lawafrica.com © Johannes Döveling, Hamudi I. Majamba, Richard Frimpong Oppong, Ulrike Wanitzek ISBN: 978-9966-53-071-4 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Johannes Döveling, Hamudi I. Majamba, Richard Frimpong Oppong, Ulrike Wanitzek ....................................................... ix OPENING REMARKS FROM THE EAC SECRETARIAT Some Observations on Practical Aspects of the Harmonisation of Economic Laws in the East African Community Context Michel Ndayikengurukiye ................................................................................. 3 PART I: REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND FUNDAMENTALS OF LEGAL HARMONISATION Law of Regional Integration – A Case Study of the East African Community James Otieno-Odek .......................................................................................... 17 An Enquiry into the Achievements and Challenges of East African Regional Integration Khoti Chilomba Kamanga ................................................................................ 57 Comparative Law as a Base for Regional Harmonisation Ulrich Spellenberg .................................................................................. 81 The Different Incarnations of the Member State in Legal Harmonisation Processes: A Comparative Study of the EAC, EU and OHADA Olivier Dubos ....................................................................................... 97 Legal Harmonisation in African Regional Economic Communities: Progress, Inertia or Regress Richard Frimpong Oppong ................................................................................ 113 Legal Harmonisation in Regional Economic Communities – The Case of the European Union Tomasz P Milej .............................................................................................. 139 PART II: SELECTED FIELDS OF HARMONISATION IN ECONOMIC LAW Private International Law and Legal Harmonisation Private International Law and Harmonisation of Laws in African Regional Economic Communities Richard Frimpong Oppong ................................................................................ 157 vi Harmonisation of Laws in the East African Community Private International Law and Legal Harmonisation in an Economic Union – Key Aspects of the European Experience Volker Wiese .................................................................................................. 171 Labour Law and Legal Harmonisation Harmonisation of Labour Laws in the East African Community: An Assessment of Progress and Prospects Juliana Masabo ................................................................................................ 187 Integrating Persons with Disabilities in the Labour Market: Comparative Analysis of Employment and Disability Laws of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda Abdallah Possi ................................................................................................ 213 Competition Law and Legal Harmonisation Harmonisation of Competition Laws in the East African Community: Some Reflections Deo John Nangela ........................................................................................... 245 State-Related Restraints of Competition and Supranational Antitrust Law: How a Harmonised Regional Competition Framework Can Shape a More Market- Oriented Economy Rupprecht Podszun .......................................................................................... 265 Harmonisation of Competition Laws within the East African Community. A Comparative Analysis of the East African Community Competition Act, 2006 and the Competition Law of Burundi Anatole Nahayo .............................................................................................. 297 Harmonisation of Competition Law Regimes in the East African Community: Challenges and Prospects Daniel Baitwababo ........................................................................................... 325 Intellectual Property Law and Legal Harmonisation Harmonisation of Intellectual Property and Foreign Direct Investments Law in the East African Community: The Case of Regulated Industries Grace Kamugisha Kazoba ................................................................................. 339 Back to the Drawing Board: Assessing Priorities for Intellectual Property Rights Interests in the East African Community Anthony CK Kakooza ..................................................................................... 373 Table of Content vii Commercial Law and Legal Harmonisation Analysis of the Approximation of Commercial Laws in Kenya under the East African Community Common Market Protocol Naomi Gichuki ............................................................................................... 409 Assessing the Feasibility of Harmonisation of Insurance Law for a more Relevant Insurance Industry in East Africa Edson Rwechungura ......................................................................................... 427 Prospects and Pitfalls of Autonomous Digital Migration in East Africa: A Case for Harmonised Broadcasting Regulation Sheillah Nyanzi .............................................................................................. 443 INTRODUCTION Johannes Döveling,* Hamudi I. Majamba,** Richard Frimpong Oppong,*** Ulrike Wanitzek**** This book contains the revised and edited versions of papers presented at the Research Workshop on “Eastern African Common Legal Space in Economic Law: State of the Art and Future Perspectives, with Consideration of the European Experience”. The Workshop was held at the Giraffe Ocean View Hotel in Dar es Salaam on 10-11 August 2015. It brought together policy makers, academics and post-graduate students from Burundi, Canada, France, Germany, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The Workshop provided an opportunity for exchange and mutual learning. Through this book, we hope to make the results of the Workshop accessible to interested researchers in Africa, Europe and beyond. In addition to the papers contained in this book, participants at the Workshop identified the need for further research on a number of issues relevant to harmonisation of laws in East Africa. In doing so the participants agreed that the comparative approach would be a highly appropriate method in studying the issues identified below. In this regard, comparativism refers not only to the different national laws involved, but also to the legal regimes in different regional economic communities, such as the European Union (EU) and other regional economic communities in Africa. The first issue in need of further research is the principle of variable geometry. This principle is anchored in Article 7(1)(e) of the Treaty on the Establishment of the East African Community (EAC Treaty), read together with the definition contained in Article 1 EAC Treaty. Despite an Advisory Opinion from the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) on the principle, there are still significant uncertainties as to its legal relevance and interpretation. The principle of variable geometry is of special importance for the process of harmonisation of laws because it allows a group of Partner States to take the * Research Associate and Deputy Leader of the Tanzanian-German Centre for Eastern African Legal Studies (TGCL), University of Bayreuth. ** Associate Professor and Dean, University of Dar es Salaam School of Law. *** Associate Professor, Thompson Rivers University, Faculty of Law. **** Professor and Leader of the Tanzanian-German Centre for Eastern African Legal Studies (TGCL), University of Bayreuth. x Harmonisation of Laws in the East African Community lead in implementing EAC initiatives. Other Partner States might opt to join the leading group later on, or to a limited extent only. The extent to which the principle of variable geometry may be used in the harmonisation of laws and the effects of such an approach is an appropriate subject for further study. Second, there is a need for further research on the instruments for harmonisation of laws that might be suitable for the EAC. To date, a mixture of Protocols, Acts, Directives and Regulations have been deployed with varying degrees of success. The legal basis for relying on these instruments and an assessment of their respective effectiveness should constitute an important research agenda for the future. Third, there is a need for further research on how non-state actors can contribute to harmonisation of laws as a part of the East African integration process. To date the process of harmonisation of laws in the EAC has been dominated by state and EAC institutions. Comparative experiences from other regional economic communities suggest that non-state actors could play a crucial role. Within the EAC, providing and enhancing the role of non-state actors in the harmonisation process could be seen as an aspect of the EAC Treaty’s call for a “people-centred