Integration, trade and tension across the East African Community.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula wants EAC leaders to reconsider two decisions affecting the remuneration and selection of East African Legislative Assembly members, warning their implementation could raise legal and constitutional questions. Wetang’ula urged the Bureau of EAC Speakers to recommend that the decisions, adopted by the Heads of State Summit on March 7, 2026,
Mistrust among regional actors and parallel peace initiatives undermined the East African Community Regional Force in eastern DRC, a former Kenyan force commander has said. Speaking at the Global Trust Summit in Nairobi on Thursday, Maj Gen (Rtd) Aphaxard Kiugu said the trust deficit made joint military operations difficult and weakened efforts to restore stability
The launch of the Sh2 trillion Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery in Lamu on Wednesday exposed the competing energy interests within the region, with only a handful of top African leaders attending a project billed as a major East African investment. Of the heads of government from the East African Community, only Ugandan President Yoweri
Kenya is targeting a tenfold increase in fuel traffic to Rwanda through the Northern Corridor, in a deal that could strengthen Mombasa’s position as a key petroleum gateway for landlocked East Africa. The push was marked by the arrival of a 40,000-tonne consignment of refined petroleum products for Rwanda at the Kenya Pipeline Company’s Kipevu
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has defended Kenya’s crackdown on foreign nationals engaged in small-scale trade, insisting regional integration does not give EAC citizens a free pass to disregard Kenyan laws. Mudavadi on Thursday said Kenya was not imposing a blanket ban on foreign nationals engaging in small-scale businesses, but was seeking to ensure that
Kenya has moved to contain growing diplomatic and humanitarian fallout from its crackdown on foreign small-scale traders, bringing Burundi and international agencies into a joint response. Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei on Tuesday said the government had convened a high-level coordination meeting with Burundi Ambassador Evelyne Habonimana, UNHCR Kenya Representative Fatima Mohammed-Cole and IOM
Burundi has stepped up pressure on Kenya over the treatment of its nationals, warning that continued anti-Burundi rhetoric could have consequences for Kenyans living in Burundi. Burundi’s Foreign Minister Édouard Bizimana has warned that “things will certainly change” if what he described as hate speech against Burundians in Kenya continues. The remark by Bizimana points
Uganda President Yoweri Museveni on Sunday, May 17, signed into law the controversial Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026. The bill, now an Act of Parliament, has been interpreted as a domestic measure to regulate foreign influence in Uganda. However, what is not coming out directly is that its implications may be felt across the borders.
Transit cargo in the East African region has been severely disrupted, after the Long Distance Drivers and Conductors Association ordered an immediate halt to all cargo bound for South Sudan. Citing dangerous congestion and escalating safety concerns at the Elegu border, the association said drivers are now exposed to heightened safety risks, deteriorating conditions, and
Uganda’s Parliament is considering the Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026, a proposed law that, if enacted in its current form, could significantly reshape not only the country’s civic space but the practice of journalism itself. While the Bill has largely been framed as a regulatory tool targeting foreign influence on non-governmental organisations, a closer scrutiny
Two activists were arrested on Tuesday as civil society continued to sustain pressure on the Kenyan and Ugandan governments to ensure the release of their counterparts, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo. Julius Kamau and Mulinge Muteti were arrested as they sought to access the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have an audience with PCS Musalia
Pressure is piling on Ugandan authorities to account for two Kenyan activists who disappeared in Kampala last week, as Kenya steps up diplomatic engagement and civil society groups stage protests demanding their release. Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo were reportedly abducted by armed men in the Kireka area of Kampala on October 1, and their
Kenya has formally protested to Uganda the abduction of two Kenyans in Kampala this week, deepening regional unease over cross-border disappearances involving political activists and citizens. The two activists, Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo, affiliated with the Free Kenya Movement, were reportedly seized by armed individuals believed to be Ugandan security operatives. They were participating
