THE Heads of State of the East African Community (EAC) have endorsed Tanzanian national Ambassador Stephen Mbundi as the new Secretary General of the regional bloc.
Ambassador Mbundi was officially announced and introduced to the plenary by his predecessor, Veronica Nduva, whose tenure ended this year, during the 25th Ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State, held yesterday in Arusha.
During the summit, three new judges were also appointed to the EAC Court of Justice. Amb Mbundi and the judges took the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of Secrecy by the Acting Registrar of the court, Christine Mutimula.
Amb Mbundi becomes the second Tanzanian national to hold the position of EAC Secretary General, following Juma Mwapachu, who served for five years from 2006 to 2011. While taking the oath of office, Amb Mbundi said,
“I do solemnly swear that I will exercise loyalty, discretion and conscience in the performance of the functions entrusted to me, in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community. I will regulate my conduct in the interest of the Community and shall not seek or accept instructions regarding the performance of my duties from any Partner State or any authority external to the Community. So, help me God.”
Presenting the incoming Secretary General, the outgoing Secretary General, Ms Nduva, described him as an East African of Tanzanian origin who holds a Master’s degree in Economic Policy Management from Makerere University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Dar es Salaam.
She noted that Ambassador Mbundi describes himself as a highly motivated, conscientious and committed civil servant with 28 years of experience in public service.
The incoming Secretary General possesses extensive knowledge and experience in EAC integration and capacitybuilding, gained through 19 years of active engagement in regional integration activities.
He has been leading the Tanzanian delegation in the Coordination Committee of Senior Officials of the EAC Council of Ministers, guiding Tanzanian experts in various technical meetings covering political affairs, finance, administration and other regional initiatives.
Throughout his engagement in EAC activities, Ambassador Mbundi has actively participated in negotiations on various legal and policy instruments, serving both as a team member and as leader of the Tanzanian delegation.
At the national level, he has been responsible for coordinating public and private sector institutions that participate in EAC meetings, as well as overseeing the implementation of summit, council and sectoral decisions and directives within Tanzania.
He is also recognised for his financial and human resource management expertise, having served as a management team leader, director and accounting officer. Under his leadership at the ministry, the institution has received clean audit certificates for four consecutive years.
The three judges appointed to the EAC Court of Justice are Advocate Abdulwaheed Wasame Abdullah from the Federal Republic of Somalia, Justice Anne Otieno Amadi from the Republic of Kenya and Justice Diejo Stephen Abraham from the Republic of South Sudan.
Earlier, the outgoing Secretary General, Ms Nduva, welcomed the Heads of State, expressing her gratitude for the confidence placed in women’s leadership through her nomination. She also thanked the Heads of state for their guidance and support during her tenure.
She highlighted several milestones achieved under her leadership over the past 20 months, including increased visibility of EAC organs and institutions.
Ms Nduva assumed office in April last year after being nominated by Kenya’s Head of State and the EAC outgoing Chairperson, William Ruto, during the Summit of the Heads of State, succeeding Dr Peter Mathuki.