BY SUKHDEV CHHATBAR
East African Community (EAC) Secretary General (SG), Amb Stephen Patrick Mbundi, marked his first 100 days in office on August 3, 2026, focusing on regional trade, digital integration, health security and the implementation of the bloc’s development agenda.
In July, Amb Mbundi led an implementation mission to the Sirari-Isebania border post between Tanzania and Kenya and to the Busia-Busia border crossing between Kenya and Uganda to drum home the importance of free trade and travel across East Africa.
“Regional integration must deliver practical benefits to every trader, investor and citizen,” he said during the mission. Amb Mbundi took charge of the EAC Secretariat on April 25, succeeding Kenya’s Veronica Mueni Nduva. One of his most visible interventions has been taking the regional integration agenda directly to border communities.
He inspected cargo-clearance operations and met customs and immigration officials, transporters, traders, business associations and residents to assess the performance of the One-Stop-Border Posts.
The mission identified congestion, inadequate cargo scanners, overlapping regulatory procedures, inconsistent round-the-clock operations and poorly connected government digital systems as being among the obstacles affecting free flow of regional trade.
Amb Mbundi subsequently directed the EAC Secretariat to establish a structured follow-up mechanism with partner states to address the challenges and remove non-tariff barriers.
In his first 100 days, Amb Mbundi has prioritised strengthening financial discipline at the EAC Secretariat. His interventions have focused on ensuring timely contributions from partner states and reinforcing checks and balances in the management and utilisation of the Community’s limited resources.
In May, Amb Mbundi received information and communications technology equipment worth €205,000 (Tsh 626m) from the German development agency, GIZ. The equipment was expected to improve cyber security, data storage and continuity of an EAC digital platform supporting the mutual recognition of professional qualifications across partner states.
On regional health, Amb Mbundi signed a €5 million (Tsh 15.3bn) agreement with Germany’s KfW Development Bank in June to strengthen regional hospital laboratory capacity and responses to Mpox and other epidemics.
The EAC also mobilised regional mechanisms to respond to an Ebola outbreak, including strengthened surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, infection prevention and rapid-response capacity.
His tenure has coincided with the presentation of the EAC’s proposed $110.9 million (Tsh 293.6bn) budget for the 2026/27 financial year and the beginning of the Seventh EAC Development Strategy. The new strategy prioritises regional trade, industrialisation, infrastructure, social services, monetary integration, peace and security and stronger EAC institutions.
However, Amb Mbundi still faces longstanding challenges, including delayed financial contributions from partner states, persistent trade restrictions and slow implementation of regional decisions. He also faces a huge staffing gap at the secretariat following a number of retirements.
