Nairobi — Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda has urged East African Community (EAC) member countries to use their membership in other regional groupings to strengthen their economies.

Speaking here on the first day of his two-day working visit to Kenya, Mr Pinda said the affiliation of some EAC members to other economic blocs could be used to their advantage.

He made the remarks during talks with Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga at the latter's office in Nairobi. Mr Pinda said the multiple memberships expanded markets for East African countries.

Of the five EAC members states, only Tanzania is affiliated to the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), while the rest -Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi - are members of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa).

Mr Pinda said there was a need for EAC members to use SADC and Comesa and expand their market in the entire region.

On the trade imbalance between Tanzania and Kenya, he urged the Tanzanian business community to grab available opportunities to make inroads into the Kenyan market and expand their businesses.

He said Kenyan businesspeople had seized opportunities that had come their way, adding that the Tanzanian business community should follow suit instead of complaining incessantly.

For his part, Mr Odinga said Kenya was currently facing a serious drought and food shortage, adding that the calamities had come hot on the heels of the 2007 post-election violence.

He said the political violence was a major setback to the country and its people as production came to a standstill in many areas, adding that the global economic downturn had only served to worsen the situation.

Mr Odinga said he hoped that rains forecast for this month would end the drought and the resultant electricity crisis.

Mr Pinda was later in the day scheduled to visit the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari) before meeting with Tanzanians living in Kenya.