Regional Father! Museveni Takes Over As New Chairman East African Community

By Frank Kamuntu

Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has assumed the chairmanship of the East African Community (EAC), succeeding Kenya’s President William Ruto at the 25th Ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State held in Arusha, Tanzania.

Museveni takes over leadership of the regional bloc at a time when member states are seeking to accelerate economic integration, strengthen cross-border trade and address security challenges affecting parts of the region.

In his remarks, Museveni pledged to prioritise deeper regional integration, expansion of cross-border infrastructure and stronger cooperation among member states to support economic growth and stability.

His tenure is expected to focus on advancing key regional priorities, including the implementation of the EAC Common Market, development of regional infrastructure such as transport corridors and energy projects, and efforts to ease trade barriers among partner states.

Security and political stability across the region are also expected to feature prominently on the agenda, particularly ongoing concerns in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which has implications for several EAC member states, including Rwanda.

For Rwanda, progress on regional integration remains central to expanding trade, improving connectivity and facilitating the movement of goods and people across borders. The country relies heavily on regional transport corridors linking it to seaports in Kenya and Tanzania, making infrastructure development and trade facilitation key priorities within the bloc.

The East African Community currently brings together eight partner states—Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda—working toward deeper economic integration through a common market, a future monetary union and, ultimately, political federation.

The regional bloc was first established in 1967 but collapsed in 1977 due to political and economic differences among the founding members. It was revived in 2000 after Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda signed a new treaty to restore regional cooperation. The community has since expanded to include Rwanda and Burundi in 2007, South Sudan in 2016, the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2022 and Somalia in 2023, reflecting growing interest in regional integration across East Africa.

Meanwhile, Tanzanian national Stephen Patrick Mbundi has been appointed Secretary-General of the East African Community (EAC) for the 2026–2031 term, succeeding Kenyan Veronica Mueni Nduva, who had served in the role since April 2024, when she replaced Dr. Peter Mathuki.

Ambassador Mbundi brings extensive experience in promoting intergovernmental cooperation. Before assuming the EAC top post, he served as Permanent Secretary in charge of East Africa at Tanzania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he coordinated regional integration initiatives and diplomatic engagement across partner states.