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Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, who was expected to take over from South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, did not attend the summit in Arusha, where the regional bloc was also celebrating 25 years of integration.
In an unexpected move, Kenya’s President William Ruto was elected recently to chair the East African Community (EAC) Heads of State Summit, the top decision-making organ of the bloc.
Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, who was expected to take over from South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, did not attend the summit in Arusha, where the regional bloc was also celebrating 25 years of integration.
The EAC heads of State who attended the celebrations included Samia Suluhu Hassan (Tanzania), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (Somalia) and President Kiir decided to hand the mantle to Dr Ruto. The group is presently grappling with multiple issues, including conflict, trade barriers, and funding gaps.
Some of the partners were said to have had no faith in the DRC leader steering the Community in the face of these issues, as he also has domestic, political, and security problems to deal with. They turned to Dr Ruto as some sort of compromise. Somalia was next in line to lead the EAC, but it is still in the process of aligning with the Community protocols.
Sources indicated that President Samia would have taken the baton but passed it up to Dr Ruto, citing “other commitments.” The Tanzanian leader is set to start campaigns to defend her seat in next year’s General Election.
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Dr Ruto leads the EAC at a crucial period when it is expanding rapidly amid divisions over commercial, political, and diplomatic differences, 25 years after it was re-established. The original EAC collapsed in 1977 due to ideological differences between leaders of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda at the time.
