Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Thursday reignited the debate on the unification of East African states into a federation.
Speaking during a joint press briefing with President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi, Museveni said the ultimate goal of the East African Community (EAC) is to create a single government for East Africa.
The Ugandan president stressed that the EAC agenda is more than just economic integration.
“We revived the East African Community because it has an agenda that goes beyond mere economic integration. If you read Article 5 of our Treaty, it says that ultimately we will create a political federation. So our ultimate goal for the EAC is one government for East Africa,” Museveni said.
He lamented the failure to establish the East African Federation in 1963, suggesting that decades of progress had been lost as a result.
President Museveni also mentioned that the formation of an EAC government is necessary for strategic security in an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape.
“While we can handle economic prosperity with mere economic integration… it will be better if we are one country. But in strategic security, you cannot handle it by just being in an economic community, the only way you can do it is through political integration,” Museveni added.
For his part, President Ruto said the East African region would have been different by now if the EAC had not collapsed.
“I agree with you (Museveni) what we are trying to forge now, we missed it by a whisker in 1963, if the East African Community had not collapsed then we would have a different region by now. But they say it is never too late to do the right thing. I think we are in time,” Ruto said.
Last year, Kenya launched internal discussions on the East African political federation, signaling a renewed interest in the project championed by leaders such as President Museveni.
Also Read: Ruto Calls For Strong Commitment In South Sudan Peace Process
