President Uhuru travels to Arusha for EAC summit

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his delegation departed JKIA for Arusha Wednesday morning. (Photo:PSCU)

Nairobi: President Uhuru Kenyatta left for Arusha, Tanzania on Wednesday morning to attend the 17th Ordinary East African Community (EAC) Heads of State Summit.

While there, he will meet regional presidents including Tanzania’s John Magufuli.

The meeting will consider reports by the EAC Council of Ministers on the negotiations on the admission of the Republic of South Sudan into the Community, Sustainable Financing Mechanisms for the EAC, and the EAC Institutional Review.

The Summit is also expected to deliberate on a report by the Council on the verification exercise for the admission of the Republic of Somalia into the EAC.

EAC Council of Ministers have been meeting in Arusha for the past two days.

The leaders are also expected to consider banning importation of used vehicles, clothes and shoes to promote motor vehicle assembly and the textile and leather industries in the region.

The Heads of State are expected to launch the new International East African e-Passport (electronic-passport) during the meeting.

The EAC Summit was preceded by the East African Business Leaders’ Summit which took place Tuesday.

 This year’s Summit is private sector focused giving businessmen the opportunity to engage with the Heads of State on key issues to be address in order for businesses in the EAC region to thrive.

 The summit also gives opportunity to businessmen to make their voice heard at the regional level.

Also scheduled to be launched by the Summit is the Private Sector Fund which is expected to deepen the participation of the private sector in the East African integration process.