Kenya’s Nduva takes over as EAC Secretary-General, pledges promoting peace, security

The new East African Community (EAC) Secretary General, Veronica Mueni Nduva, as earlier expected, took the oath of office on Friday evening at State House in Juba, South Sudan. Nduva was sworn in during the June 7 extra-ordinary meeting of the EAC Heads of State that was held and virtually and chaired by South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit, the Chairperson of the Summit. Speaking after taking the oath as Secretary General, Nduva said that her tenure would be dedicated to pledging to promote deeper integration and development of the people of East Africa. She said her key priorities would include strengthening economic integration that encourages innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation in addition to peace and security. “Your Excellencies, in promoting peace and security, a secure East Africa is the foundation upon which we can build lasting prosperity,” said the SG. ALSO READ: EAC leaders to consider report on partner states' relations The EAC’s first female SG also disclosed that advanced social development would also be a priority for her with special attention being given to empowering women and youth who are the backbone of the society in the region. Infrastructure development will also rank high on the incoming SG’s agenda as she reiterated that the sector will require innovative financing solutions and strengthened public-private-partnerships (PPPs). “To promote climate resilient growth, we will continue addressing the pressing challenges of climate change collectively as a region. This includes promoting green energy, sustainable agriculture, conservation efforts and resource mobilisation as a bloc,” she said. Nduva further singled out institutional strengthening for effective implementation of policies and programmes as another of her priorities, adding that enhancing inter-organ and inter-institutional coordination would be key to delivering on the mandate. She pledged fidelity to the EAC Treaty and said that it would serve as her guiding document throughout her tenure as Secretary General even as she promised to promote a culture of transparency, accountability and inclusivity at the Community. Nduva replaces compatriot Peter Mathuki who was recalled in March and redeployed as his country’s Ambassador to Moscow. Prior to her appointment as SG, Nduva was the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Performance and Delivery Management in the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. The alumnus of the University of Nairobi is an accomplished governance and public sector professional with a 24 years’ career spanning service in the Government of Kenya, EAC, US government and civil society. She holds a BA in Political Science and Communication Studies from the University of Nairobi, and also possesses vast experience in Human Resource Management and budgetary appropriations. The change of guard at the EAC Secretariat was triggered by the recall on March 8 of Peter Mathuki, who was besieged by legislators over accountability claims at the Secretariat. Amid accusations of unauthorised expenditure by the regional legislative assembly, President Ruto recalled Mathuki and nominated him as Kenya’s ambassador to Russia. Kenya first nominated Caroline Mwende Mueke for the post but replaced her in a last-minute U-turn with Nduva, the Principal Secretary for Performance and Delivery Management in the Ministry of Public Service. Financial woes The summit is taking place at a time when the regional bloc is facing a critical cash crunch. Last month, the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) announced that it suspended its operations for June, having been hit by financial woes rising from delayed remittances from East African Community partner states. In a statement issued on May 27, the Court said it “deeply regrets” to inform its esteemed stakeholders, particularly litigants and the general public, that there will be no scheduled session of the First Instance Division in June. “Owing to delayed remittances from the partner states, the court was unable to conduct the May 2024 session of the Appellate Division, and the June 2024 session of the First Instance Division will not be convened as scheduled,” the statement read. “This challenge significantly impedes the court's primary function, which is to promptly hear and adjudicate cases brought before it. Consequently, there has been a notable increase in the backlog of cases, with over 200 currently awaiting resolution before the EACJ.” The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) – another regional organ which is also suffering from lack of funding – has in the past tried to push for countries that do not commit to their financial obligations to the bloc to be sanctioned. ALSO READ: EAC parliament forced to postpone key activities due to financial constraints Many programmes of the bloc have stalled in the past few months due to the crisis blamed on non-remittance of dues amounting to about $40 million by partner States. Only Kenya has up-to-date remittance records at the EAC, while Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda reportedly have relatively small balances. According to documents seen by The EastAfrican, it is reported, some $39,883,765 from the partner States was outstanding as at May 17, 2024. Since then, only Burundi has contributed $600,000 of its $12.7 million due.

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Kenya’s Nduva takes over as EAC Secretary-General, pledges promoting peace, security