ARUSHA: Leaders of the East African Community (EAC) have appointed Tanzanian diplomat Stephen Mbundi as the new Secretary General of the regional bloc.
Mbundi was introduced to heads of state during the 25th Ordinary Summit of EAC leaders held in Arusha, where he succeeded Veronica Nduva, whose tenure ended this year.
He becomes the second Tanzanian to hold the position after Juma Mwapachu, who served as Secretary General from 2006 to 2011.
Mbundi took the oath of allegiance and oath of secrecy before the acting registrar of the East African Court of Justice, Christine Mutimula, alongside three newly appointed judges of the regional court.
“I do solemnly swear that I will exercise loyalty, discretion and conscience in the performance of the functions entrusted to me in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community,” Mbundi said during the oath-taking ceremony.
“I will regulate my conduct in the interest of the Community and shall not seek or accept instructions regarding the performance of my duties from any partner state or any authority external to the Community.”
Presenting the incoming Secretary General to the summit, Nduva described Mbundi as an experienced civil servant with nearly three decades of public service and extensive involvement in regional integration.
She said the Tanzanian diplomat holds a master’s degree in Economic Policy Management from Makerere University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from University of Dar es Salaam.
According to Nduva, Mbundi has spent 19 years actively engaged in regional integration initiatives within the EAC framework, including leading the Tanzanian delegation in the Coordination Committee of Senior Officials under the EAC Council of Ministers.
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In that role, he guided national experts participating in technical meetings covering political affairs, finance, administration and other regional programmes.
He has also taken part in negotiations on several legal and policy instruments related to EAC integration, serving both as a team member and as leader of Tanzania’s negotiating delegation.
At the national level, Mbundi has been responsible for coordinating public and private sector institutions involved in EAC activities and overseeing the implementation of summit, council and sectoral decisions within Tanzania.
He has also served in senior administrative and financial management roles in government, including positions as a management team leader, director and accounting officer.
During the summit, leaders also appointed three new judges to the East African Court of Justice: Abdulwaheed Wasame Abdullah of Somalia, Anne Otieno Amadi of Kenya and Diejo Stephen Abraham of South Sudan.
Earlier, Nduva thanked the heads of state for the confidence they placed in her leadership and for their support during her tenure.
She highlighted several achievements over the past 20 months, including efforts to increase the visibility of EAC institutions and strengthen the bloc’s regional integration agenda.
Nduva assumed office in April last year after being nominated by Kenya’s president William Ruto, succeeding former Secretary General Peter Mathuki.
