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Bujumbura, Burundi , November 30, 2011

President Mwai Kibaki greets Uganda President Yoweri Museveni as Burundi President Pierre Nkurunzinza looks on during the EAC Heads of State Summit in Bujumbura, Burundi.

President Kibaki takes over EAC chairmanship

President Mwai Kibaki today took over the chairmanship of the East African Community (EAC) Heads of State Summit with a strong call to the United Nations Security Council to take serious steps towards stabilization of Somalia.

Addressing the 13th EAC Heads of State summit in Bujumbura, Burundi, after taking over the chairmanship from President Pierre Nkurunziza, President Kibaki pointed out that the insecurity in Somalia is an international problem that should not be ignored by the international community.

“The insecurity in Somalia is indeed an international problem and we urge the international community to complement the efforts of regional bodies, including IGAD and the African Union, towards bringing peace and security to the country,” President Kibaki said.

Regionally, the President emphasized that the success of the East African Community is linked to the state of affairs in the entire region.

In this regard, President Kibaki expressed gratitude for the support that member states of EAC have pledged to the Kenya Government and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia in the effort to pursue the Al Shabaab insurgents.

The Head of State noted that the instability in Somalia continues to spill over to the whole region.

Said President Kibaki, “Indeed, our economies continue to face serious challenges arising from the breakdown of rule of law in Somalia.”

As he took over the chairmanship, President Kibaki said he looked forward to the expansion of the EAC noting that more countries had shown an interest in joining the community. It was during the last chairmanship of President Kibaki that Rwanda and Burundi were admitted to the EAC in 2007.

On the benefits of regional integration, President Kibaki noted that the performance of the intra-East African Community trade has continued on an upward trend over the last five years, rising from about 2 billion US Dollars in 2004 to about three and a half billion US Dollars in 2009.

“A closer look at both the exports and imports of each one of the Partner States reveals similar upward trends over the period. This progress has been achieved in partnership with the private sector,” President Kibaki said.

In this connection, the President encouraged business people in East Africa to re-double their efforts in playing their rightful role as the engine of growth in the community.

President Kibaki, at the same time, expressed the need to eliminate Non-tariff Barriers that continue to raise the cost of doing business in East Africa significantly.

He said the EAC should also fast-track the establishment of one-stop border posts at the key border points to facilitate trade in the region.

The President said small and micro-enterprises should also be facilitated to do business in the regional arena, noting that although majority of people in the region are engaged in this sector, their operational capacities are too small for them to compete with bigger corporations.

The President said, “As a Community, we need to step up measures to empower this important sector. I also call upon large business corporations in the region to promote the Small and Medium Enterprises sector through subcontracting.”

On infrastructure systems, President Kibaki appreciated the work already done in the implementation of the East African Road Network Project but stressed that more remains to be done.

President Kibaki assured that as the chairman of the EAC Heads of State summit he will do everything possible to steer the Community to greater heights of integration.

“May I also take this early opportunity to thank Your Excellencies for bestowing the Chairmanship of the Summit and Community to me and Kenya respectively,” President Kibaki said.

During the session, the summit adopted the annual report of the Council of Ministers for the period between November 2010 to November 2011, the report of the Council of Ministers on the proposed attainment of a Single Customs Territory and the report of the Team of Experts on fears, concerns and challenges on the Political Federation which were present by Kenya’s East African Community Minister Musa Sirma.

President Kibaki said these issues were of critical importance to the future of the Community and expressed confidence that the deliberations during the summit marked an important milestone in the advancement of the integration process.

He, therefore, urged all member states to play their respective roles in ensuring that the resolutions are implemented for the common good of the people of East Africa.

Speaking during the occasion, President Nkurunziza expressed optimism that President Kibaki will take the East African Community to greater heights of development during his chairmanship.

President Nkurunziza lauded the East African Community’s progress in regional integration but called for a removal of barriers that still hinder the free movement of the people of the region.

“We need to be more ambitious and move fast toward complete integration. Together we will be a stronger regional body,” President Nkurunziza said.

Other speakers included African Union Chairman Jean Ping and East African Community Secretary General Amb. Richard Sezibira.

The Kenyan delegation at the summit included Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula and East African Community Minister Musa Sirma, Attorney General Prof. Githu Muigai, National Assembly Speaker Kenneth Marende and Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Thuita Mwangi among other senior Government officials.