EAC to discuss Rwanda and Burundi hosting bloc’s organs

The next council of ministers meeting slated before the end of the year will deliberate Rwanda and Burundi hosting East African Community organs and institutions. Speaking to The New Times, Monique Mukaruliza, the Minister of EAC affairs, said that Rwanda is fully integrated in the EAC, but what remains is to host EAC organs and institutions like other partner countries. “In the next council of ministers, we are expecting the EAC Secretary General to present a draft roadmap showing how Rwanda and Burundi will host the EAC organs, “she said. The EAC treaty gives all five member states the power to share equitably all benefits accruing from the bloc, including hosting the organs. Mukaruliza added that Rwanda is interested in hosting the EAC Science and Technology Commission, Kiswahili Commission and the EAC Court of Justice. She stressed that a study will soon begin to ascertain how all EAC partner states will share everything equitably as envisaged in the principal of the treaty that establishes EAC. “One of the principles of the treaty is to share equally all the benefits accruing from the EAC integration,” the EAC Minister emphasized. Mukaruliza pointed out that the draft roadmap will show the first priority areas like the level of staffing at the EAC Secretariat and the hosting of the EAC organs and institutions, adding that the study would look through all the benefits. She said that the terms of reference of the study were circulated in the EAC partner countries and what remains is hiring of consultants to carry out the study. The other three partner states host a number of EAC institutions apart from Rwanda and Burundi. Rwanda and Burundi assented to the EAC bloc in July 2007. Ends

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EAC to discuss Rwanda and Burundi hosting bloc’s organs