Writes Leo Odera Omolo.
Top Rwandan government official was on Tuesday picked up by the five heads of state meeting in Dar Es Salaam as the new Secretary General of the East African Community.
In attendance were Presidents Mwai Kibaki of Kenya, Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Pierre Nkurunzinza oif Burundi and ther Ministers responsible for the East African Community Affairs.
The summit which was attended by all five presidents of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi also made some far reaching changes in the administration of the regional body.
The Rwanda Minister for Health Dr Richard Seribera, a Makerere University trained surgeon now takes over from the previous holder of the office Ambassad0r Juma V. Mwapachu a Tanzanian whose tenure of five years terms expired early this month.
This appointment now brings to an end heated discussions and exchange of bitter word between the members states which had threatened to disrupt development and regional integration.
Dr Seribera was picked up during the ninth extra-ordinary summit of the Heads of State summit held in Dar Es Salaam from 17 to 18 April 2011.
Also appointed during the summit was Enos Bukuku who will now be the EAC Deputy Secretary General in-charge of the Infrastructure and Planning. He replaced Aloys Mutabingwa of Rwanda.
Dr Bukuku has been serving as one of the deputies at the Bank of Tanzania in-charge of economic and financial policy. He is a former Permanent Secretary I the Tanzanian Ministry of State for Planning and Privatization
The new Secretary General is expected to spearhead negotiation to the establishment of the EAC Monetary Union. Kenya’s Justice Isaac Leonola is the new presiding Judge of the Arusha based East African Court of Justice. The Kenya High Court Judge had played a leading role in the search for the new set of the country’s constitution when he was named a commissioner in the Constitution of Kenya Review that Prof.Yash Ghai chaired.
Justice Leonola is currently the chair person of the Kenya Mag9strates and Judges Association. The newly appointed team was immediately sworn in on Tuesday afternoon.
The next move by the regional body would now shift to the next pillars of the EAC, the Monetary Union and political Federation.
The new Secretary General s expected to spearhead negotiation for the establishment of the Monetary Union whose proposals are already under discussion. The Monetary Union is expected to establish a single EAC currency which has been slated to be in place by next year.
However, top economists in the region have questioned the ambitious target, citing the European Union experience where currencies were merged after several years of intense debate. How the region will achieve the proposed union now lies with the new CEO.
The new Secretary General will also have an uphill task of oversee the movement of the EAC toward a political federation by 2015, which some analysts have expressed doubt about its viability.
Ends