As his tenure as chairman of the East African Community (EAC) came to a close, President William Ruto highlighted the milestones achieved under his leadership.
Ruto, who assumed the role on November 30, 2024, shared a detailed account of his efforts during the 25th Ordinary Summit of the EAC, emphasising progress across trade, peace, and regional integration.
“I am grateful to Your Excellencies for the diligent and gracious support extended to me during my tenure. When I assumed this role, I committed to prioritising key deliverables to drive our integration agenda,” Ruto said on Saturday.
He listed the main objectives he focused on, including promoting peace, security, and economic growth across member states, boosting intra-EAC trade and investment, strengthening private sector participation, supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises in economic transformation, and advancing the EAC-European Union Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
“Additionally, I committed to address non-tariff barriers to trade by enhancing infrastructure connectivity and regulatory harmonisation and progressing our shared aspirations for a political confederation. I am delighted to report that we have made significant progress on these key areas, and, as a result, our community is marching forward towards an even more integrated and prosperous future,” Ruto added.
On peace and stability, Ruto stressed the efforts to address conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“On our commitment to enhance peace, stability and economic development in the region, the Community partnered with other stakeholders to address some of the peace and security challenges affecting our region, especially in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo,” he said.
He recalled the collaborative steps under the EAC-led Nairobi Process, merging it with the Luanda-led initiative to create a unified approach for peace restoration. Ruto also acknowledged Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa for his role in supporting the process.
“Subsequently, His Excellency Emmerson Mnangagwa, the then Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community, and I engaged several times on this matter, and I wish to confirm that the African process towards restoring peace and security in Eastern DRC is now fully under the leadership of the African Union. A panel of African facilitators was appointed to support the peace process, and the AU appointed a mediator, who presented a progress report on the peace process to the just-concluded 39th Session of the AU General Assembly in February 2026,” he stated.
The summit also confirmed the election of Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni to succeed Ruto as the new chairman of the East African Community.
