EALA MPs to be paid by their respective home countries

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The East African Community (EAC) Heads of State have endorsed a raft of reforms, including a decision that members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) will be paid by their respective home countries.

The leaders agreed with the EAC Council of Ministers’ position that having legislators paid by their respective countries, rather than from the central EAC budget, will reduce the financial burden on the regional bloc.

The decision was reached during the 25th Ordinary EAC Heads of State Summit held in Arusha, Tanzania, on February 7, 2026. The summit was presided over by President Yoweri Museveni, who assumed the EAC chairmanship from his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto.

Museveni recognised that some efforts towards economic integration had progressed, recalling his role alongside former Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi, former Tanzanian Presidents Hassan Mwinyi and Benjamin Mkapa in reviving the EAC in 1999.

“I salute Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Somalia and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for joining the EAC. “Let us fully implement the charter of the East African Community and the roadmap, as His Excellency, President Ruto was reporting,” Museveni said.

The EALA is composed of nine elected members from each of the six EAC partner states, along with eight ex officio members who are ministers responsible for regional cooperation from each country.

To address the issue of member states defaulting on contributions, estimated at about 50%, the summit agreed on a more rigid funding formula for the 2026/2027 period. It was agreed that 50% of the budget will be covered by equal contributions from all partner states, while the remaining 50% will be based on gross domestic product (GDP) size.

This replaces the previous proposal of a 65% (equal) and 35% (assessed) formula that sought to balance the burden among member states.

The summit also agreed that senior employees at the EAC Secretariat will not be recruited from countries that fail to pay their contributions.

By January 2026, the EAC was owed more than sh327b ($89m) in arrears, with Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and South Sudan holding the highest debt.

The meeting was attended by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan (host), Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia and Évariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi. Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan were represented.

Trade strides

In his progress report, President Ruto indicated that the community had registered positive growth in trade and investment, with the value of trade within the region rising by nearly 22% from $33b in 2024 to $40.3b in 2025.

“Exports from the region grew significantly by 32% to $19.6b, while imports rose more moderately by 13% to $20b. This has significantly narrowed the region's trade deficit from $3.4b to $1 billion during the same period. In other words, we are exporting more than we are importing, and we are making progress. I am looking forward to the coming days in fact we will have a trade surplus with other markets,” Ruto said.

A key highlight of the meeting was the launch of the East African Customs Bond under the Single Customs Territory. The Customs Bond was rolled out by partner states in January 2025 after a successful pilot in Uganda.

According to Ruto, the trade facilitation instrument will enhance customs security and ensure the payment of duties and taxes if goods placed under customs control are not properly delivered or accounted for.

“The launch of this bond is therefore a key milestone in strengthening the implementation of the single customs territory and facilitating the movement of goods across our region,” Ruto said.

He added that under his leadership, the region also recognised the central role of the private sector and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as key drivers of economic transformation.

New secretary general

Another key highlight of the summit was the swearing-in of the new Secretary General of the EAC, Ambassador Stephen Mbundi from Tanzania. He will serve a five-year term from 2026 to 2031, succeeding Veronica Nduva.

The chairperson of the East African Council of Ministers, Beatrice Askul Moe, said the theme of the summit was “Deepening Integration for Improved Livelihoods of East Africa Community Citizens.”

“It reflects a community commitment to strengthening regional integration as a pathway to enhance economic opportunities, promote sustainable development and improve the quality of life of the people of East Africa,” she said.

She highlighted key progress made in advancing the objectives of the community under the pillars of the Customs Union, Common Market, Monetary Union and Political Federation.