The Minister for the East African Community, Monique Mukaruliza, has said that the adoption of a quota system to recruit staff for the bloc, is crucial and beneficial to all the member states.

According to the secretariat, there is lack of equity in the recruitment of staff, with some countries having more workers than their fellow member states.
 
The Minister noted that the secretariat has no definite procedure for recruitment.

"Currently we have not had an appropriate mechanism of recruiting people to work at the secretariat and other different organs and I am sure if this system is adopted, it will help to streamline the recruiting of workers to benefit all countries,” Mukaruliza told The New Times.

Mukaruliza pointed out that there will be technical team to assess how the system can be applicable before its implementation.

The EAC secretariat undertook a comparative survey on staff recruitment in other regional economic communities including COMESA, SADC and ECOWAS to assess the use of quota system and identify what is applicable in the EAC.

Recently, a co-ordination committee of permanent secretaries recommended that t a quota system should be adopted. The system should be based on the principle of equity, without compromising merit and gender balance.

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