The minister for East African Community (EAC) affairs and First Deputy Prime Minister, Rebecca Kadaga, has warned member states that fail to meet their financial obligations could lose the chance to sponsor key officials such as the speaker or secretary general of the regional bloc.
Kadaga issued the warning while launching the EAC marathon 2026 at the parliament. The marathon aims to increase the visibility of the community among partner states.
“If you are not compliant with financial commitments, I am telling you we have already agreed that you cannot sponsor a speaker or secretary general of the community,” Kadaga said.
Dressed in a green African-wear dress, she said delays in payments were slowing progress towards political integration.
At present, only Kenya and Tanzania have paid their full annual contributions, amounting to $7.3m. The Democratic Republic of the Congo owes $14.7m in outstanding arrears.
Former East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) member and parliamentary committee chair on EAC affairs, Dennis Namara, urged the original members of the community to lead by example in settling their dues.
Kadaga called on members of the EALA to meet expectations.
She stressed the importance of advancing towards a single monetary union, noting that a common currency could run alongside national currencies such as shillings, francs, and dollars.
Kadaga acknowledged that member states could not achieve full economic convergence at the same pace. She said there was, therefore, an urgent need to fast-track remaining steps, including confederation and eventual political federation.
She added that richer countries such as Kenya should contribute more than poorer members, and urged all partner states to fully domesticate the EAC treaty into their national laws.
