KISUMU, KENYA: Seven County Assemblies out of the fourteen Counties that forms the Lake Region Economic,(Lreb), bloc have passed a bill to legitimise their membership.

They are Kisumu, Kakamega, Kisii, Nyamira, Busia, Migori, Vihiga, counties that unanimously endorsed the idea as viable for them to leverage on economies of scale.

Other member counties are yet to endorse the Bill seeking to create a significant legal framework towards full economic integration of the bloc with 14 million people.

Speaking to the press in Kisumu, the blocs Chairman Wycliffe Oparanya urged Homa Bay, Siaya, Bomet, Kericho, Nandi, Trans Nzoia, Bungoma to endorse the Bill.

''We want remaining Counties to do so that we can create a single market for member counties to trade freely in all economic resources – not just tangible goods,'' he said.

The remaining Counties are still waiting for their respective County assemblies to ratify the Bill to ensure their engagement with the bloc was legally binding.

• .

  Keep Reading

• 
  Varsities, counties owe over Sh600m Sacco money
• 
  Joyce Akinyi: From hotel owner and now convicted heroin trafficker
• 
  Governor Lusaka calls for regional cooperation on water resource management
• 
  Kisumu's lost spring bubbles back to life after decades of dryness

By legitimizing the Lreb bloc activities, it means that all barriers to trade in goods, services, capital, and labour among member counties will be removed to ease trade.

Oparanya explained for a common market to be successful there must also be a significant level of harmonization of macro-economic policies to create common rules.

''The overriding intention of the Lreb member Counties to merge and eliminate the existing inter Counties trade barriers and encourage free trade in the bloc,'' he asserted.

This is envisaged to increase imports and export activities among the block members and new affiliate trade partners to increase trade revenues in the region.