Ruto lists his achievements as EAC chair
By Kiplagat Sang, March 7, 2026As his term as the chairman of the East African Community came to an end, President William Ruto took his time to explain what he achieved during his tenure.
Ruto’s chairmanship of the bloc began on November 30, 2024, and during that period, the Head of State is proud of what was achieved within that period.
“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 during the 25th Ordinary Summit of the EAC.
“These include enhancing peace, security, stability, and economic development in the region; increasing intra-EAC trade and investments; strengthening private sector engagement and the involvement of MSMEs in driving economic transformation; and accelerating the conclusion of the EAC-European Union Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA),” he added.
“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,” he continued.
DRC peace initiative
Ruto also spoke about peace and stability within the region and outlined the steps taken to stabilise the volatile situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“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,” Ruto stated.
“You may recall that under the EAC-led Nairobi Process on the restoration of peace and security in Eastern DRC, we agreed to adopt a coordinated approach and merge the Luanda and EAC-led Nairobi processes.”
The president also noted how Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, helped in restoring peace in DRC.
“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.”
Meanwhile, Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, was elected to succeed Ruto.