ARUSHA, Tanzania — Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has assumed the chairmanship of the East African Community (EAC) Summit, taking over the rotating leadership of the regional bloc from Kenyan President William Ruto.
The handover took place at the conclusion of the EAC Heads of State Summit held on Saturday at the Arusha International Conference Centre in northern Tanzania.
Museveni will serve as Chairperson of the EAC Summit for the next one year, a position that rotates among the heads of state of the eight-member regional organisation.
While accepting the role, Museveni expressed gratitude to fellow regional leaders for entrusting him with the responsibility.
“I thank Their Excellencies, the Heads of State of the East African Community, for entrusting me with the responsibility of serving as Chairperson of the EAC Summit for the next year,” Museveni said.
Call for deeper regional unity
In his remarks, the Ugandan leader used the moment to urge African countries to strengthen unity and accelerate regional integration.
“Africa must avoid what I call ‘Okukonesa’, the mis-cooking of the African Revolution. Historically, our weaknesses of disunity, poor leadership and failure to adopt science allowed the continent to be colonised,” he said.
Museveni argued that while African nations achieved political independence decades ago, the next phase must focus on economic integration and collective development.
“We achieved Uhuru (freedom). The next mission must be Umoja (unity),” he added.
He emphasised that sustainable prosperity on the continent will depend largely on expanding production and accessing larger regional markets.
“Prosperity comes from production and markets. Fragmented markets keep Africa poor,” Museveni said.
Integration key to economic transformation
The Ugandan president illustrated his message with a traditional Luganda proverb to highlight the importance of self-reliance and regional cooperation.
“In Luganda we say: ‘Omuggo oguli ku mulirano tegugoba ngo.’ The stick in the neighbour’s house cannot chase away the leopard. Africa must build its own internal market through integration,” he said.
He added that regional blocs such as the EAC remain central to Africa’s broader integration agenda, particularly in advancing trade, infrastructure development and political cooperation across the continent.
“The mission remains: Uhuru na Umoja — Freedom and Unity,” he said.
EAC expansion and leadership changes
The summit comes at a time when the East African Community is undergoing significant expansion and institutional reforms.
Originally founded by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, the bloc has grown to include Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo and most recently Somalia, making it one of Africa’s fastest-growing regional organisations.
Also Read: Museveni now proposes unified East African ‘Super Army’ after Indian Ocean war threats
During the same summit, regional leaders approved the appointment of Stephen Patrick Mbundi, Tanzania’s ambassador, as the new Secretary-General of the East African Community, replacing the outgoing leadership at the bloc’s secretariat.
The EAC continues to pursue ambitious goals including deeper trade integration, the creation of a monetary union, and the long-term vision of establishing a political federation among member states.
Analysts say the coming year of Museveni’s chairmanship will be closely watched as the bloc seeks to strengthen regional cooperation while managing security and economic challenges across East Africa.
