The extraordinary meeting of East African Community (EAC) President scheduled to take place Today (Wednesday) has been postponed to a later date, this website exclusively reports.
The provisional agenda of the summit was about EAC’s response to global pandemic- COVID-19 and all the Presidents would attend by video conferencing.
Key on the agenda according to officials at the secretariat in Arusha was how partner states would handle the issue of their borders which remain open but have since been singled out as a possible threat as there is free movement of East Africans.
For example, a Ugandan cargo driver on Tuesday tested positive for Coronavirus on his arrival from Kenya at Malaba border.
A total of 372 cargo drivers had been tested. Also a Kenyan driver who tested positive was sent back by Ugandan authorities to his country for treatment.
Vincent BIRUTA, the Rwandan Minister and Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers on Tuesday informed EAC secretary general Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko that the meeting wouldn’t happen as requested by a member state South Sudan.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame is currently the chairman of EAC, but his chairmanship has been perceived as unhealthy among fellow Presidents, for a number of times Kagame has postponed EAC summits without a clearer reason.
It is no public secret that Rwanda and Uganda have had sour diplomatic relations in the recent past in which Kagame took a decision to close Gatuna border thus denying Ugandan goods entry into Rwanda.
“Reference is made to our letter Ref: No 1400/09.01/EAC/20 dated 12th April 2020 regarding background paper, provisional agenda and programme of the Extraordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State on COVID-19 that was scheduled to take place on 15th April 2020 by Video conference,” reads part of the letter obtained by this website.
The latter adds: “I have the honour to both inform and request you to notify Partner States that the above mentioned Extraordinary Summit has been postponed to a later date due to the request of the Republic of South Sudan.
The new date will be communicated in due course.
Please accept, Mr. Secretary General, the assurances of my highest consideration.”
All East Africa nations have registered cases of COVID-19 and the motive of the conference was to find a solution on how to flatten the curve.
Tanzania has registered 59 cases; 3 have died while 7 people have recovered, Uganda has 55 cases; 12 have recovered and discharged and no deaths, Burundi has registered 5 only one person has died, Rwanda has 134 cases and 49 have recovered with no deaths, Kenya has confirmed 225 cases; 52 have recovered and 10 died and lastly South Sudan has 4 cases with no deaths or recoveries.
