The East African Community (EAC) has undeniably earned recognition, praises and favors from the International Community.
Once again this year, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank, the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa have confirmed loudly and clearly that the EAC is the best performer of all regional communities in Africa.
AfDB therefore not hesitated to open its coffers by approving on October 10th a jackpot of $ 2 billion for projects to be coordinated by the EAC. As for the other donors, they have, for the last three years, already put more than 600 millions of dollars on the table.
Thus, the Secretary General of Burundian origin, Ambassador Libérat MFUMUKEKO, has probably become the most effective SG that the EAC has had, and the best mobilizer of funds among all regional communities of the continent.
Continued Attack on Mfumukeko
Behind this glorious scenery, it must be revealed that behind the scenes of the EAC are very gloomy. The execrable relationship between Burundi and Rwanda undermines the Community; for 3 years, Rwandans do not attend meetings and events held in Burundi and vice versa; yet the EAC Treaty requires the presence of all member countries during Community meetings.
Two camps have been formed since 2015 around this open conflict that EAC member States try to hide as best they can: those who are against Burundi and its Secretary General and those who support them. The coalition that fights Burundi and who fought heart and soul in 2015 and 2016 against the election of President Pierre Nkurunziza and the appointment of a Burundian at the head of the EAC has not yet disarmed.
The lawsuits against the Republic of Burundi in the EAC Court of Justice chaired by a Rwandan are repetitive; the lynching of the Burundian SG was tempted by all means and several times but without success. International institutions and donors very closeto the EAC admit that the discomfort is palpable and they are well disoriented. On Wednesday, November 7, during the plenary session of the EAC Regional Assembly, also led by a Rwandan, some MPs have again embarked on a destruction operation of the EAC or rather of its SG.
There is one major element to take into consideration, a court case was introduced in January 2018 by Burundi for illegal election of the Rwandan EALA Speaker.
The risk of the election being reversed is real.
It is against this backdrop that the Speaker and the anti Burundi coalition are seeking for revenge.
Claiming to present their analysis on reports of experts of the Audit Committee of the EAC for the fiscal year 2016/2017, they have gone into excess and indecency by even fabricating conclusions which are nowhere to be found in these reports and even to call, before the media, donors to no longer give moneyto the EAC.
Funny behavior for MPs who are paid handsomely by the Community.
One of the EAC donors on a mission to Arusha that day told us, stunned, that “it is madness and he did not believe his eyes to see this community dig its own grave.” And yet, during the 2016/2017 period the Audit Commission gave an unqualified opinion to audit reports of sixteen (16) out of seventeen (17) EAC organs and institutions, all placed under the overall authority of the Secretary General.
In short, 94% of the reports are clean. Only the report of the General Secretariat had a qualified opinion because of three operations for which the General Secretariat could not provide supporting documents in time to be considered by the Audit Commission.
On the whole, however, the Commission has noted the progress made by the EAC, although, as is always the case in this type of exercise, irregularities have been identified in certain procurement operations; among these, contracts of more than $ 1 million for security and kitchen equipments as well as consulting services dating from 2012 to 2014, a few years before the current SG takes office. But for detractors everything is good to take and suspicions persist that the team sponsoring the continued attack may have collaborated with some technical officers of the Audit Commission to ensure explanations and documents provided by the Secretariat are not considered.
Meanwhile the EAC continues to blow the hot and the cold: the coalitions anti and pro Burundi obviously have days ahead of them, the latest news keep warning about the chilling of relations between Rwanda and Uganda and the most incredible rumors have invaded the corridors of the beautiful headquarters of the Community.
It is even claimed that a former Burundian minister now a parliamentarian at the EAC Assembly has formed her “shock group” to uproot her compatriot Secretary General of the Community. In short, it is a real soup and the EAC seems to be stuck gradually in the illogical and suicidal approach of “doing everything and its opposite”.