EAC leaders to launch regional e-passports

President-elect Yoweri Museveni will today(WED) attend the 17th ordinary summit for the East African Community Heads of State where among others things leaders will launch the new International East African electronic passport.

The passport mechanism will be used by East African Community citizens for international travels.

The other key item that leaders will agree on is the launch of the Private Sector Partnership Fund which is expected to deepen the participation of the private sector in the East African integration.

President Yoweri Museveni yesterday left the country to Arusha, Tanzania, for the summit.

According to Linda Nabusayi, the Press Secretary of the President, during the summit, Presidents will also launch the Arusha-Sakina-Tengeru road at Tengeru one stop boarder post in Holili/ Taveta.

Presidents Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Pierre Nkurunziza (Burundi), Salva Kiir (South Sudan) are also expected to join Museveni at Arusha for the summit that is hosted by President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli of Tanzania.

According to a statement released by the East African Secretariat, the leaders will also consider council reports related to reduction of exportation of used cars into the members states, promotion of textile and leather industries and forge ways of putting a ban on importation of used clothes, shoes and other leather products so that they can boost local leather industries.

Harmonising telephone rates within the region is the other action plan that leaders would decide at the meeting today.

The leaders are also expected to debate the possibility of setting up a vehicle assembling plant in the region.

"The meeting will also consider Council reports on: The Model, Structure and Action Plan of the EAC Political Federation; Implementation of the Framework for Harmonized EAC Roaming Charges; Modalities for Promotion of Motor Vehicle Assembly in the region and Reduction of the Importation of Used Motor Vehicles from Outside the Community," the statement noted.

At the summit, the statement added, leaders will also deliberate on the admission of South Sudan and Somalia into the EAC.