Ruto Calls for Collapse of East African States to One Country

President William Ruto, on Friday, November 29, called for the consolidation of the East African region into a single nation. While there are no concrete moves on this, it would have huge consequences for countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia.

While speaking at the 24th Ordinary Summit of East African Heads of State in Arusha, Tanzania, Ruto made a big proposal to regional Heads of State in a move that would have significant benefits and drawbacks for the region.

“When the founding fathers, Jomo Kenyatta, Julius Nyerere, and Milton Obote, came up with the East African Federation then, it did not go as far as they had envisioned. We must commend Tanganyika and Zanzibar then, who took the bold step and created the United Republic of Tanzania,” he stated.

“Then, my question is, why did the union, which began in 1964 (1967), and birthed the Zanzibar-Tanganyika unification, go on to stagnate? It should have continued to Kenya and Uganda so that it achieves the goal of the forefathers,” Ruto added.

While it may bring great advantages such as a stronger economy, a greater pool of resources, greater bargaining power in global affairs, and increased security, among others, it might also give rise to huge limitations. 

For instance, lack of clarity over who would be the leader of the region, carrying over individual countries’s problems, the risk of lack of cohesion and cooperation amongst citizens, and myriad of policy and law issues, just to name but a few.

Ruto cited the original goal of the founding fathers of the East African Federation—Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya), Julius Nyerere (Tanzania), and Milton Obote (Uganda)—of unifying the region through the East African Federation.

He further went on to give the example of Tanzania and Zanzibar, who merged together to become the United Republic of Tanzania, stating that the two provided the blueprint for consolidation.

Ruto proceeded to task Tanzania and its President, Samia Suluhu, with the responsibility of driving up his proposal to the region. Ruto went on to term it a ‘debt’ to East Africans.

Consequently, Tanzanians have a debt to the people of East Africa that the unity that was figured out by our founding leaders, that started with only Zanzibar and Tanganyika then, must not stop there. You have an explanation to us why it should not move on and become what it was intended to be,” he asserted.

“Therefore, as East Africans, we demand that we complete this journey of consolidating this East Africa into what our forefathers thought about. And I think that is the journey we are discussing in the political confederation,” he went on.

The EAC summit was set to bring together regional leaders to address key challenges facing the region and discuss strategies to accelerate economic integration, strengthen the region’s resilience to climate change, and address insecurity.