EAC tables US$ 109.3mln budget estimates before EALA for the 2025/2026 FY
The 2025/2026 budget is themed “Inclusive Economic Transformation through Domestic Resource Mobilisation and Resilient Strategic Investment for Job Creation and Improved Livelihoods.”
ARUSHA, June 25, 2025 — The East African Community [EAC] has tabled before the East African Legislative Assembly [EALA] the budget estimates for the 2025/2026 financial year [FY] totaling US$109,338,151 [approximately Ushs 393.48 billion].
Tabling the speech before the Assembly yesterday, the Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers and Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for East African Community, Arid and Semi-Arid Lands and Regional Development, Beatrice Askul Moe, said that the budget estimates for the FY 2025/2026 were being presented at a time when the EAC economies had demonstrated resilience despite ongoing global challenges, including geopolitical tensions, climate change, and shifts in international aid.
“Despite these challenges, the average economic growth rate for the region was 5.5 percent in 2024, which outpaced both the global average of 3.3 percent and the Sub-Saharan Africa growth rate of 4 percent,” said Moe.
“The outlook for 2025 is even brighter, with projected growth rate of 5.8 percent, driven by robust performance in agriculture, construction, and services sectors, supported by sound policies and macroeconomic stability,” added the minister.
Moe disclosed that the EAC total trade with the rest of the world increased by 14.7 percent to US$ 124.9 billion in 2024 from US$ 109.4 billion in 2023.
“In 2024, EAC exports grew by 24.72 percent to US$ 56 billion, while EAC imports rose by 6.83 percent to US$ 68.9 billion. During the same time, Intra-EAC trade also expanded by 9.35 percent to US$ 15.2 billion,” said the minister.
The 2025/2026 budget is themed “Inclusive Economic Transformation through Domestic Resource Mobilisation and Resilient Strategic Investment for Job Creation and Improved Livelihoods.”
On priorities for the 2025/2026 FY, Moe said that the Community would focus on six priority areas, namely: Enhancing regional peace, security, political processes, and emergency response mechanisms to improve the political environment in the Community; advancing the EAC Customs Union to increase regional trade and optimise supply chains across Partner States; strengthening the implementation of regional commitments in accordance with the EAC Common Market Protocol and other relevant frameworks to ensure sustainable development and improve the socioeconomic welfare of East Africans.
Others are expediting the harmonisation of fiscal and monetary policies and operationalisation of requisite institutions towards realising the East African Monetary Union [EAMU]; enhancing multi-modal strategic, climate-resilient infrastructure, and digitalisation to promote trade and regional integration; and strengthening the capabilities of all EAC organs and institutions to fulfil their mandates and promote the visibility of the Community and stakeholder engagement in the EAC integration process.
The 2025/2026 Budget has been allocated to the EAC organs and Institutions as follows: EAC Secretariat – US$ 55,209,392; East African Court of Justice [EACJ] – US$ 5,056,413; EALA – US$ 20,495,264; Lake Victoria Basin Commission [LVBC] – US$ 7,606,052; Inter-University Council for East Africa [IUCEA] – US$ 10,802,434; Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation [LVFO]: US$ 2,436,924; East African Science and Technology Commission [EASTC] – US$ 2,210,511; East African Kiswahili Commission [EAKC] – US$ 1,641,445; East African Health Research Commission [EAHRC] – US$ 2,354,504, and; East African Competition Authority [EACA]- US$ 1,525,212.
On the EAC Single Customs Territory [SCT], the minister said that enhancement and interconnectivity of Customs Systems is at the forefront to facilitate seamless exchange of trade information and faster clearance of goods across borders.
“The enhanced Centralised Information Sharing Platform [CISP] now supports the digital exchange of electronic Certificates of Origin across Partner States streamlining cross border trade, reducing errors, and strengthening regional integration.”
“In the 2025/2026 FY, Customs will, among other things, focus on further consolidating the Customs Union, by implementing a comprehensive blueprint aimed at deepening integration, harmonising legal frameworks, and improving trade facilitation. It prioritises practical outcomes such as faster clearance of goods, enhanced compliance, reduced trade costs through coordinated reforms and capacity support.”
On trade, among the achievements in the 2024/2025 FY were the resolution of 16 out of 47 Non-Tariff Barriers [NTBs] that were reported with the remaining 31 NTBs were at different stages of resolution.
“The Community is committed to eliminating these barriers to unlock the full potential of regional trade. To inspire excellence, quality management and product excellence among EAC enterprises, the Community awarded 12 enterprises from various sectors across the Partner States with the 2024 EAC Quality Award,” she said.
On the Common Market, Moe said that the Community had continued to monitor progress of Partner States in revising national laws to comply with the EAC Common Market Protocol.
“I am pleased to report that the Republic of Burundi, the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Rwanda and the Republic of Uganda have waived work/residence permit fees for all EAC citizens, marking a significant step towards labour mobility in the region.”
The minister stated that in the FY 2025/2026, the Community will continue to undertake regulatory reforms in compliance with Common Market Protocol commitments.
On the Monetary Union, the minister informed the Assembly that during the FY 2024/2025, in the implementation of the Roadmap for the East African Monetary Union [EAMU], the Community adopted a comprehensive framework for coordinating monetary and fiscal policies to support the establishment of the EAMU.
Further, to modernise and integrate payment systems across the region, the Community adopted the EAC Cross-Border Payment System Master Plan, which outlines key strategic initiatives for modernising and integrating payment systems in the EAC region.
“The Community has also continued to support the Partner States’ central banks in implementing secure, efficient and reliable payment and settlement systems to ensure the efficient flow of transactions within the EAC region through the EAC Payment and Settlement System Integration Project [EAC-PSSIP],” said the minister.
The minister further stated that peace and security remain prerequisites to socio-economic development and were therefore vital for the attainment of the objectives of the Community. In this regard, she stated that, “In October 2024, the Community enhanced cross-border cooperation and peaceful co-existence among border communities affected by unresolved border disputes through the Peace Caravan initiative at the Tri-Junction of the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Uganda and the Republic of South Sudan.”
On the EALA, the minister said that the Assembly had recorded several achievements including the: granting of leave to introduce three Private Members’ Bills, namely: the East African Community Prevention and Control of Transboundary Animal and Zoonotic Disease Bill, 2024; the East African Community Medical Products Bill, 2024; and the East African Community Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation Bill, 2025; and adoption of a number of recommendations aimed at improving the overall performance of the Community in the implementation of the integration agenda
“During its rotational sitting in the Republic of Uganda, the Assembly [EALA] received the President, His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who called for political integration as a means to strengthen the bloc, emphasising principles of patriotism, socio-economic transformation, and democracy,” said the minister.
“In the FY’ 2025/2026, the Assembly will prioritise the enactment of legislation geared towards furthering and deepening the EAC integration process and three bills, returned to the Assembly, that are a prerequisite for the establishment of the EAMU.
On the EACJ, the minister disclosed that the Court had continued to witness goodwill by the Partner States in implementing the Court’s decisions, which builds confidence among East Africans with regard to respect for the rule of law and justice delivery in the region.
“During the FY 2024/2025, 79 matters were filed before the East African Court of Justice.”
Moe said that the Court has seen a considerable increase in its case backlog. The case backlog increased from 265 matters in FY 2022/2023 to 328 matters in FY 2024/2025.
The minister said that the Court’s priority interventions in the FY 2025/2026 will be to reduce the case backlog; enhance the skills of judges and staff for efficient delivery of justice; and enhance collaboration with other regional and international courts.
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