Kenya’s President William Ruto and Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni have urged East African Community (EAC) member states to urgently remove trade restrictions that are slowing down regional growth and threatening the future of integration.
During President Museveni’s state visit to Kenya on July 30, 2025, the two leaders signed eight cooperation agreements and held high-level talks at State House Nairobi. The meeting also involved officials from both governments and stakeholders from the private sector.
The new agreements cover key sectors such as trade, energy, mining, tourism, agriculture and animal industry, fisheries and aquaculture, investment promotion, and transport. An additional Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Kenya Bureau of Standards and the Uganda Bureau of Standards to enhance scientific and technical cooperation.
Speaking during a joint press briefing, the two presidents expressed concern over rising non-tariff barriers (NTBs) such as import bans, licensing restrictions, and discriminatory taxes that are hurting cross-border trade.
“The persistent non-tariff barriers that hinder the flow of goods frustrate the objectives of regional integration under the EAC framework,” President Ruto Said.
“If you are not solving the issue of access to markets, how will you develop?” when you produce goods and services, the next question is who buys them? If you don’t answer that and you are a leader, the future is very bleak,” President Museveni asked.
Their remarks come just weeks after Tanzania imposed a ban on foreigners engaging in 15 small-scale businesses and reintroduced an industrial levy on goods produced in EAC partner states.
These moves have been criticized by businesses and regional experts as violations of the EAC Common Market Protocol, which guarantees the free movement of goods, people, and capital across member countries.
President Museveni likened the disjointed nature of the region to a poorly built house:
“You have countries like Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, CAR, Chad, and Ethiopia all landlocked. And people are content with that. How can you have a sitting room in one country, a kitchen in another, and a bedroom elsewhere? That’s not how a house or a region should work.”
To tackle ongoing trade issues, President Ruto announced that a Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) would hold a mid-term review in October 2025. This committee is tasked with tracking the implementation of bilateral agreements and resolving trade challenges between Kenya and Uganda.
The two leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to regional peace and security, pledging to work together in solving conflicts, strengthening institutions, and advancing the EAC goals namely the Customs Union, Common Market, Monetary Union, and eventually, a Political Federation.
“The East African Community continues to demonstrate its potential as a model for regional integration,” we must emphasize unity, economic convergence, and shared prosperity as guiding principles,” Ruto said.
Ruto and Museveni’s joint appeal underscores the urgency for EAC nations to prioritize regional integration over narrow national interests. With trade barriers still limiting growth, the leaders made it clear: East Africa’s future prosperity depends on unity, cooperation, and political will.
