Hello

Your subscription is almost coming to an end. Don’t miss out on the great content on Nation.Africa

Ready to continue your informative journey with us?

Hello

Your premium access has ended, but the best of Nation.Africa is still within reach. Renew now to unlock exclusive stories and in-depth features.

Reclaim your full access. Click below to renew.

Subscribe for a month to get full access

Burundi President to take over as EAC chairperson

By  Zephania Ubwani

What you need to know:

  • This will be the first time for a Burundi leader to be entrusted to chair the supreme organ of the Community in 13 years

Arusha. Burundi leader President Evariste Ndayishimiye is set to take over as the new East African Community (EAC) chairperson.
The soft-spoken, newest member of the Summit, will succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya during tomorrow’s Heads of State summit.
This will be the first time for a Burundi leader to be entrusted to chair the supreme organ of the Community in 13 years.
Mr Ndayishimiye predecessor the late Pierre Nkurunziza headed the organ for a mandatory one-year  tenure during 2010-2011.
In years that followed, the EAC not only saw irregular postponement of the summits, but Burundi apparently took an isolationist stance.
This followed the political crisis that rocked the country from 2015 after the hotly disputed Nkuruzinza’s extension of tenure.
EAC secretary general Peter Mathuki confirmed at the weekend that, indeed, Burundi  will take over as the EAC Chair at tomorrow’s meeting to be held virtually.
“Burundi is the next Chair of the EAC Heads of State Summit this year,” he told a high-powered government delegation from Bujumbura.
Dr Mathuki said in affirmative that the EAC was keen to ensure Mr Ndayishimiye took over the mantle this time around.
The Burundi delegation to Arusha was led by the minister for Justice Ms Domine Banyankimbona who also doubles as the Attorney General.
The Chair of the EAC Summit is tasked to convene meetings on the regional leaders and maintain constant communication with them.
The tenure of the Chairperson of the Summit is one year and is held in rotation among the partner states. The coming into picture of the Burundi leader at the EAC helm after years of absence, means the country was fully back in the EAC business. President Ndashimiye’s first task at tomorrow’s summit will be the admission of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) into the bloc.
The giant country, which borders Burundi and four other EAC partner states, comes with its huge natural resources, not fully tapped.
But, Burundi’s agreement to take over the EAC chair could signal improving relations with the neighbours, particularly Rwanda.


In the headlines