Zitto Kabwe: "Parliamentarians in the Nile Basin should break the deadlock over the water use"

Zitto Kabwe is a member of the Parliament of Tanzania. He chairs a parliamentary standing committee on public investments, where he works to facilitate Tanzania's transition to a market economy. He is an active proponent of a Nile Basin agreement to prevent potential conflicts among the nine main countries dependent on the basin's water resources. These nine countries—Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda—have established the Nile Basin Initiative to develop a common approach and to reach agreement on fair use of water. But some countries have been reluctant to negotiate and an agreement remains elusive.

Mr. Kabwe tells the Parliamentarians Network about the challenges and opportunities that the Nile Basin Initiative presents.

PN: Some Nile Basin countries recently signed a Cooperative Framework Agreement to formalize the transformation of the Nile Basin Initiative into a permanent Nile River Basin Commission. Do you think this agreement has broken the ice? Or will positive developments remain only on paper?

ZK:  This new agreement can potentially reduce the power of Egypt and Sudan, so the problems have only just begun. We need the consent of all the Nile Basin states to make progress in improving Nile Basin water use. This is something that is not easy to achieve.

To my mind, the establishment of a permanent commission or any other permanent institution dealing with the Nile Basin can solve the problems that we have around the Nile. We should definitely work to sign a new agreement because the current agreement was signed in 1929 when there were no independent countries in the Basin, except for Ethiopia. It was signed under colonial regimes and gave all control to Sudan and Egypt. But it’s evident that such an agreement is no longer applicable under current circumstances.

That’s why I think it’s very important to begin a new round of negotiations. There are of course complaints from Egypt and Sudan but we should address these complaints diplomatically. We should all look for a long-term solution that will be beneficial for all parties.

PN: Do you believe that there can be a solution which would satisfy everyone?

ZK: Yes, I do believe that if countries continue to discuss and negotiate, they will find the right solution for everyone. But the problem, once again, is that Sudan and Egypt, the countries that already have an agreement, are reluctant to negotiate a new one. But we do not mean to push them away in our negotiations; we want to bring them to the negotiating table once again. There are fears that lack of consent can increase the level of hostility between countries towards.

PN: So do you think that parliamentarians from the Nile Basin countries with nascent democracies exert enough influence to push the governments in the right direction?

I suggest that we have a Council meeting embracing MPs from all Nile Basin countries to bring all parties together. Parliamentarians are deeply involved into the Nile Basin Initiative and I believe that they are able to influence negotiations. All the agreements signed have to be ratified by the parliaments and we are going to use our “ratification power” to influence an outcome of the talks. And I also believe that the involvement of the Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention can make a difference in the region.

PN: Can lack of agreement over the use of Nile water resources potentially lead to a military or a diplomatic conflict between the Nile Basin states?

ZK: Yes, unfortunately it’s possible. It’s not easy to negotiate a mutual agreement because some countries have hardened their attitudes. Ethiopia is extremely hard to negotiate with; Kenya is hard as well. And there is a rift between the “black” Africans and Arab Africans. Public opinion in “black” African countries is generally against the Arab Africans, namely Sudan and Egypt. That’s why it’s a very sensitive issue. And that’s why it is important to have a neutral arbiter to bring all the conflicting parties together. The Parliamentary Network for Conflict Prevention made up of MPs from different countries can become such an arbiter. 

PN: Parliamentary elections will be held in Tanzania in October this year. Do you expect them to be peaceful? And what are you focusing on in your reelection campaign?

ZK:  We expect peaceful elections in Tanzania; there is a political agreement to prevent any clashes.In the past there were problems in Zanzibar. But now we have a political agreement between the main political parties and everyone is campaigning together for the Government of National Unity, so we don’t expect any violence.

My program focuses on some local issues that are important for the Tanzanian people. Elections in Africa are always about some very basic issues. Water supplies, transport facilities, road construction, opportunities for education. It’s different from elections in developed countries. There is nothing about ideology or a free market economy; we focus on very basic needs of the population.

PN: Thank you very much for your time, Mr. Kabwe.