Your Excellency, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda,

Your Excellency, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania,

Your Excellency, Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda,

Your Excellency, Pierre Nkurunziza, President of the Republic of Burundi,

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
I wish to begin by thanking Your Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, for hosting this 5th Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State of the East African Community.
We are grateful to Your Excellency and the people of Uganda for the warm welcome accorded to us since our arrival in your beautiful country. I also convey warm greetings to Your Excellency President Jakaya Kikwete, of the United Republic of Tanzania.

Your Excellencies,
This Summit has special significance for our sister countries of Rwanda and Burundi. The two countries have today formally joined the Community as full members.

This is an important milestone for our organization and I want to commend my brothers, President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda, and President Pierre Nkurunziza of the Republic of Burundi for their patience and persistence which has resulted in the success we are witnessing today.

The accession of Rwanda and Burundi to the East African Community Treaty following their admission into the Community last November, completes a missing link for our region.

The two countries are geographically, culturally and economically connected to this region, and we are therefore pleased to work closely with them in furthering the objectives of our community.

Excellencies,
Today's Extraordinary Meeting completes Kenya's term as Chair of the Summit. During my tenure, I relied heavily on the co-operation and support accorded to me by Your Excellencies.

As a result of this support, the Community was able to make significant progress in the last one year.
Most notable, is the accession of our sister states of Rwanda and Burundi as full members. Indeed, the entry of Rwanda and Burundi into the Community is only matched by the momentous decision that Your Excellency, President Museveni and former Presidents Ali Hassan Mwinyi and Daniel arap Moi made in 1993 to renew regional integration by launching the East African Cooperation. Since then, our region has never looked backwards.
In 1999, Your Excellency, President Museveni, and former Presidents Benjamin Mkapa and Daniel arap Moi signed the Treaty transforming East African Co-operation into the East African Community. Today, nearly eight years later, we are witnessing yet another milestone in the process of regional integration.

Our sister countries of Rwanda and Burundi have acceded to the Treaty as our equal partners in the East African Community. Our region's economic and political prospects are growing bigger and brighter. With a land area of 1.9 million square kilometres of Africa's most productive and spectacular landscapes, a population of over 100 million people, and a combined Gross Domestic Product of over 41 billion US dollars, the East African Community has the potential to be a formidable regional economic and political power.
However, our people recognize that the integration of our region is not about economic benefits alone. It is about shared cultural and historic ties brutally severed by colonial occupation.
It is also about fulfilling the aspirations of our people to build a common and prosperous political future that transcends the borders imposed on us by the colonial authorities.

In this regard, we have made notable progress in the ongoing National Consultative Process on Fast Tracking the East African Federation. This process will allow the people of East Africa to have the final say in making the decision towards a political union.

As anticipated, the Consultative Process has generated lively debate.

The views expressed by our people, particularly on the timing, substance, and structure of the East African Federation will be essential in buttressing the foundations for building an enduring and democratic political entity encompassing our five countries.

The Consultative Process has also raised the need to intensify the process by which information is made available to our people on the Community and the benefits of deeper economic, social, and political integration.

It is imperative that we continue to deepen the awareness and understanding among our people, and especially the opinion leaders about the on-going integration of our region.

To this end, the East African Community Re-branding project should receive priority attention. This will enable our people to discuss the matter in an informed manner, and arrive at recommendations that are based on a sound knowledge of the benefits as well as risks of the journey towards deeper regional integration.

Excellencies,
I wish to report that we also made commendable progress in other areas of our regional cooperation. For instance, it is only last week that I officially launched the Lake Victoria Basin Commission.

Indeed, I wish to convey the appreciation of the residents of Kisumu City and the people of Kenya who feel honoured to be hosting this important commission that is now the custodian of what is the greatest shared asset by the people of East Africa.
In the last one-year, we also launched the 3rd East African Community Development Strategy. In order to consolidate the gains we have made and to further deepen the integration process, we must implement this Development Strategy in a timely and comprehensive manner.

In particular, we must endeavour to attain within the set time frames the clear milestones laid out in the strategy. These include the consolidation of the Customs Union, the launching of the Common Market, and the implementation of key and strategic infrastructure projects.

In this regard, I am pleased to note that the construction phase of the Arusha-Namanga-Athi River Road project will be starting soon.

Coinciding with the launch of the Strategy was the establishment of new Commissions covering a broad range of sectors, including the Science and Technology Commission, the Health Research Commission, the Civil Aviation Safety Agency, the Kiswahili Commission and the Culture and Sports Commission.

The successful implementation of these activities will mark significant milestones in our efforts towards regional integration.

I am glad to note that in anticipation of these developments and the commitments attendant to implementing the Development Strategy, the Community has undertaken a radical restructuring of the Secretariat as well as the review of the terms and conditions of service of staff.

Coupled with this, I am glad to note that the Summit is paying close attention to the budgetary resource needs of the Community. This is reflected not only in the envisaged increased contributions by the Partner States, but also increased commitments by the development partners to the Community's recurrent and development budgets.

It is important to note that the Community's recurrent and development budgets have increased to a total of 28.3 million US dollars for the Financial Year 2007/2008, up from 18 million US dollars in the current Financial Year.
To give the Community greater reliability in finances, the East African Community Partnership Fund was launched last year and is now operational. It will operate side by side with the planned East African Community Development Fund to ensure reliable and effective financial back up.

I am also glad that we have now resolved the matter that led to a delay in the reconstitution of the 2nd East African Legislative Assembly. All of the 27 Members were recently sworn in a ceremony at Arusha. The Assembly is now ready to embark on its duties of serving the East African people.

I am confident that what transpired, provides critical lessons on the clearly defined roles that sovereign and regional institutions that make up the East African community should play.

I am glad that the Summit has continued to provide guidance to the Community on difficult matters with its usual commitment to the continued success of the Community.

Excellencies,
Once again I wish to appeal for our continued rededication to the cause of East African unity and development.

Let me assure you that Kenya remains firmly committed to playing its part as we move forward towards deeper regional integration.

With these remarks, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I take this opportunity to congratulate my Brother President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of the Republic of Uganda for assuming the chairmanship of our organization and to wish him every success in steering the East African Community to greater heights of prosperity.

Thank You and God bless you all.