Kenya will relinquish the top executive post at the East African Community (EAC) when its mandate expires in April 2026, dismissing speculation that it is seeking to extend the tenure of the bloc’s secretary-general beyond what is allowed under the regional treaty.
The post is currently held by Veronica Nduva, a Kenyan national appointed in mid-2024 after her predecessor was recalled amid controversy. Kenyan officials say her two-year tenure will end as scheduled, rejecting reports that Nairobi wants her to serve an additional three years to complete a full term.
“There is no intention whatsoever to extend the term,” Kenya’s cabinet secretary for East African affairs, Beatrice Askul, told regional media this week, stressing that such a move would violate the treaty establishing the bloc. “When Kenya’s term comes to an end, another country will take over. There will be no vacuum.”
Ms Nduva was appointed in June 2024 following the recall of Peter Mathuki, who was redeployed as Kenya’s ambassador to Russia by President William Ruto. Her appointment came at a turbulent time for the Arusha-based secretariat of the East African Community, which groups eight countries and aims to deepen economic and political integration.
Her short tenure has been overshadowed by what officials and analysts describe as the worst financial crisis at the EAC since it was revived in 1999. Chronic delays by member states in paying statutory contributions have left the secretariat struggling to pay salaries, fund programmes and keep departments fully staffed.
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South Sudan, which joined the bloc in 2016, is among the largest defaulters, owing more than US$15 million, according to EAC officials. The Democratic Republic of Congo, admitted in 2022, has also paid only a fraction of its assessed contributions. The cash crunch has forced the secretariat to send home short-term staff and suspend several initiatives.
The question of who should succeed Ms Nduva has reignited debate over the bloc’s rotational system for appointing the secretary-general. Under the informal rotation, South Sudan would be next in line, but its arrears have raised doubts among other member states about its suitability to take over the powerful post.
The rotation has not always been strictly followed. In 2021, the position was expected to go to South Sudan after Burundi, but the EAC summit instead awarded it to Kenya, citing unspecified considerations. If South Sudan is skipped again, Uganda would be next according to the earlier roster, though Tanzania has also signalled interest in the job.
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“The issue of non-payment is serious, but contributions should not be used to exclude partner states,” Ms Askul said, noting that some newer members have fragile economies. She chairs the EAC Council of Ministers, which oversees policy implementation.
The uncertainty over leadership comes as the bloc grapples with wider political and security challenges. An ordinary summit of heads of state, initially planned for November, was postponed after several leaders indicated they would be unable to attend due to domestic pressures, including elections in Tanzania and Uganda and political instability in South Sudan.
Regional tensions have also weighed heavily. In early December, several EAC leaders attended the signing in Washington of a peace accord between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, aimed at ending decades of conflict in eastern Congo. The agreement was presided over by US President Donald Trump and built on a preliminary deal reached earlier this year.
However, fighting soon flared again in eastern Congo’s North and South Kivu provinces, casting doubt on the durability of the accord and underscoring the security challenges facing the Great Lakes region, a core area of concern for the EAC.
Kenya, which currently chairs the bloc, hopes to convene the long-delayed summit in February 2026, after Uganda’s general elections scheduled for January. Until then, questions over financing, leadership rotation and regional stability are expected to dominate discussions within one of Africa’s most ambitious integration projects.
