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| EAC Summit of Heads of State | |
|---|---|
| Name | EAC Summit of Heads of State |
| Caption | Summit meeting |
| Date | Various |
| Location | Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Kampala, Bujumbura, Kigali, Dodoma, Mombasa |
| Participants | Heads of State of East African Community partner states |
| Organizer | East African Community |
EAC Summit of Heads of State The EAC Summit of Heads of State is the supreme policy-making organ of the East African Community, convening chief executives from partner states to determine strategic direction, resolve disputes, and endorse integration initiatives among member capitals like Arusha, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam. Summits bring together presidents and heads from capitals such as Kigali, Kampala, Bujumbura, and Dodoma to consider protocols, treaties, and regional projects linked to institutions such as the East African Legislative Assembly and the East African Court of Justice.
The summit functions as the highest organ under the East African Community Treaty, comprising heads from Republic of Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania, Republic of Uganda, Republic of Rwanda, Republic of Burundi, and Republic of South Sudan, with observers and acceding states like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and aspirant nations. It coordinates with regional bodies including the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, and international partners such as the European Union, United States, People's Republic of China, and Japan on matters ranging from customs union arrangements to infrastructure corridors like the Northern Corridor and the Central Corridor.
Summit origins trace to the revival of the EAC in 1999 following collapse of the original federation dissolved in 1977, with early meetings influenced by leaders from Tanzania and Kenya and signatures modelled on the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community. Foundational summits dealt with integration milestones comparable to the formation of the European Union and negotiations akin to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa protocols, later expanding during accession episodes involving Rwanda and Burundi in 2007 and the admission of South Sudan in 2016. Over time summit agendas absorbed continental initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area and intersected with projects like the Standard Gauge Railway and the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor.
Participants are incumbent heads from member states: historically figures including Mwai Kibaki, Benjamin Mkapa, Yoweri Museveni, Paul Kagame, Pierre Nkurunziza, Uhuru Kenyatta, and Salva Kiir Mayardit. The summit may host guest heads or envoys from entities such as the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, and bilateral partners like India and France. Institutional attendees include commissioners from the East African Community Secretariat, the Council of Ministers, the East African Legislative Assembly, and judicial representatives from the East African Court of Justice.
The summit sets policy direction on treaties, protocols, and regional strategies, authorizing instruments affecting customs, monetary policy proposals akin to a East African Monetary Union, and free movement protocols similar to those in the Schengen Area discussions. It appoints principal officers to organs such as the East African Legislative Assembly and endorses nominations for the East African Community Secretary General, adjudicates disputes referred from the Council of Ministers and requests advisory opinions from the East African Court of Justice. The summit also ratifies infrastructural undertakings involving entities like the African Union Commission and regional projects financed by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank.
Summit agendas evolve from recommendations by the Council of Ministers, the East African Legislative Assembly, and the EAC Secretariat, with preparatory inputs from specialized committees referencing protocols on customs, transit, and services under the East African Customs Union. Decisions are made by consensus or qualified majority voting consistent with treaty provisions, often culminating in communiqués, declarations, and directives that mirror mechanisms seen in bodies like the Economic Community of West African States and the Southern African Development Community. Summit sessions coordinate with meetings of financiers such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and development partners including Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Key summits include those that endorsed the East African Common Market Protocol and advanced the concept of a East African Federation with declarations paralleling debates in the Pan-African Parliament. Other landmark outcomes encompassed expansion decisions admitting Rwanda and Burundi and policy decisions on infrastructure projects like the Standard Gauge Railway and trade facilitation along the Northern Corridor. Summits have also mediated bilateral disputes involving leaders from Kenya and Uganda and addressed security concerns tied to regional actors such as Al-Shabaab and Lord's Resistance Army.
Critics highlight issues of sovereignty tensions illustrated by disputes among presidents, implementation gaps akin to challenges in the African Continental Free Trade Area, and delays in ratification by national legislatures like those in Nairobi and Kampala. Other challenges include financing bottlenecks with lenders such as the World Bank and African Development Bank, political instability in member capitals including Bujumbura and Juba, and institutional capacity constraints within the EAC Secretariat and the East African Legislative Assembly that impede enforcement of summit directives.