President Museveni set to take over EAC leadership
President Museveni will succeed Kenyan President Dr William Ruto, who has been the EAC chairman for the last year.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni (Seated) will take over as the new chairman of the East African Community (EAC) today.
ARUSHA - President Yoweri Museveni was scheduled to take over as the new chairman of the East African Community (EAC) during the 25th Heads of State summit on Saturday in Arusha.
Museveni will succeed Kenyan President Dr William Ruto, who has been the EAC chairman for the last year.
Saturday’s summit is also expected to appoint a new EAC Secretary General to take over from Veronica Nduva from Kenya, who has been the Secretary General for the last five years.
Sources at the EAC Secretariat indicate that the next Secretary General will most likely come from South Sudan.
But some sources revealed that some within the EAC are opposed to a Secretary General from South Sudan since the country is one of those that have huge amounts of unpaid subscription fees.
East African Community (EAC) Heads Of State.
According to a statement from the EAC secretariat, the summit, among other activities, marks the official launch of the 7th EAC Development Strategy (2026/27–2030/31), which sets the strategic direction for accelerating regional integration and socioeconomic transformation over the next five years.
The Strategy builds on achievements and lessons from the previous development cycle and aligns with EAC Vision 2050, the African Union Agenda 2063, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The summit is held under the theme of Deepening Integration for Improved Livelihoods of EAC Citizens. The 25th summit was supposed to have taken place last year in November, but it was called off.
The Summit, which is the highest decision-making organ of the EAC, will bring together Heads of State from the eight partner states of Uganda, Somalia, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, DR Congo, Kenya and Tanzania to deliberate on key matters shaping the future of the regional bloc.
Participants including ministers, top technocrats, diplomats, development partners and investors from the EAC countries attentively listening to the EAC Presidents on June 30, 2024 at Arusha International Conference.
Discussions during the summit will include progress in implementation of regional programmes, institutional reports and strategic initiatives aimed at deepening integration and improving the livelihoods of East African citizens.
During the Summit, the Heads of State are expected to launch the EAC Customs Bond, a single regional customs guarantee that replaces the current requirement for multiple national bonds along transit routes.
Under the new arrangement, traders and clearing agents will secure one bond recognised across all EAC partner states, instead of arranging separate guarantees in each country of transit.
The Bond links customs administrations, insurers and financial institutions under a unified regional framework, reducing compliance costs, cutting border delays, protecting government revenue, and facilitating faster and more secure movement of goods across the Community.