Uganda’s President Museveni Takes Over EAC Chairmanship 

Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has taken over the chairmanship of the East African Community (EAC) during the 25th Ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State held on Saturday in Arusha, Tanzania.

President Museveni assumed the rotational leadership of the regional bloc from William Ruto, the President of Kenya, who chaired the organisation for one year from November 2023 to March 2026.

As chairperson, Mr. Museveni will lead the regional organisation over the coming year, guiding discussions among partner states on economic integration, security cooperation and implementation of regional projects.

Stephen Patrick Mbundi, a Tanzanian diplomat was also appointed as new Secretary General of the EAC.

Ambassador Mbundi, who previously served as Permanent Secretary responsible for EAC Affairs in Tanzania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, will serve a five-year term from 2026 to 2031, replacing Veronica Nduva.

The Arusha summit, held under the theme “Deepening Integration for Improved Livelihoods of EAC Citizens”, brought together several heads of state from the eight-member bloc.

Leaders reviewed progress in regional programmes, considered institutional reports and discussed strategies aimed at strengthening economic integration and cross-border trade across the bloc. 

Key outcomes of the meeting included the launch of the EAC Customs Bond, designed to replace multiple national transit bonds along regional trade corridors, and the unveiling of the 7th EAC Development Strategy (2026/27–2030/31) which will guide the bloc’s development priorities over the next five years. 

The East African Community currently comprises Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the summit is the bloc’s highest decision-making organ.