Tanzania takes EAC Secretary General seat, rotational principle skips South Sudan

JUBA – Tanzanian diplomat Stephen Patrick Mbundi has been appointed the Secretary General of the East African Community, with the seat bypassing South Sudan, which was due to assume the position this year according to the bloc’s rotational principle.

The announcement comes during the convergence of regional leaders at the 25^th Ordinary Summit of the East African Community Heads of State in Arusha, Tanzania, on Saturday. Mbundi will serve as the new Secretary General from 2026 to 2031.

The summit brought together leaders from eight partner states, including South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and the host country, Tanzania.

In a brief post on X, the regional body congratulated Mbundi on his appointment, noting that he previously served as Permanent Secretary responsible for East African Community affairs in Tanzania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation.

The EAC described him as a seasoned diplomat with extensive experience in regional integration.

Mbundi replaces Veronica Nduva, who had been serving as Secretary General since June 2024. The Secretary General is the chief executive officer of the EAC Secretariat and oversees the implementation of decisions made by the summit and the Council of Ministers.

The appointment has drawn attention in the region because the position is traditionally allocated among partner states based on a rotational principle designed to ensure equitable representation.

According to regional analysts, the next turn had been widely expected to go to South Sudan, the bloc’s youngest member state, which joined the EAC in 2016. However, the summit instead selected a Tanzanian candidate, effectively skipping Juba in the current cycle.

In an earlier opinion piece published by The Standard ahead of the summit, Kenyan policy analyst Mugedi Nyaga argued that South Sudan was unlikely to secure the post this year due to governance and institutional concerns within the country.

Nyaga suggested that member states often consider factors such as political stability, institutional readiness, and commitment to regional obligations when supporting candidates for top EAC positions.

He argued that unresolved internal challenges and concerns over compliance with some regional commitments could weaken South Sudan’s chances of securing the influential post.

South Sudan, which spearheaded the bloc in 2024, has come under scrutiny for noncompliance with the bloc’s mandates, including failure to pay membership subscriptions.

Strategic role in regional integration

The Secretary General’s office is one of the most powerful positions within the EAC framework. The office leads the Secretariat in Arusha, coordinates regional programs, and supervises the implementation of policies aimed at deepening integration in trade, infrastructure, and political cooperation among member states.

Mbundi’s five-year tenure will come at a time when the bloc is pursuing deeper economic integration and expanding its membership, following the recent admission of Somalia and the earlier entry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.