Secretary-General sends condolence message to President Museveni on the tragic and untimely death of General Aronda Nyakairima
The Secretary-General of the East African Community, Amb. Dr Richard Sezibera has sent a message of condolence to His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda on the tragic and untimely death of the former Chief of Defence Forces and Minister for Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uganda, the late General Aronda Nyakairima.
In a message dispatched today, the Secretary-General, on behalf of the East African Community mourns the passing of “a great son of Uganda and a towering figure of our time who has left an indelible imprint on the history of Uganda”.
Amb. Sezibera notes that the late General Nyakairima played a big role in deepening the EAC integration process in regard to the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Co-operation in Defence in the Community, while serving as Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces.
“Together with his fellow Chiefs of Defence Forces from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi, the late General Nyakairima worked so hard through the Sectoral Council on Co-operation in Defence to ensure that the MoU is implemented to the letter”.
He says through the MoU, the EAC Partner States have continued to pursue an elaborate programme of activities of confidence building among the Defence Forces such as Joint Operations, Technical Assistance, Visits and Exchange of Information, Cultural Exchanges and Sports Competitions, to enhance a spirit of comradeship among the Armed Forces in the region.
The MoU, which has now been upgraded into a Protocol, lays emphasis on unity, peace, stability and strength to defend the region’s common interests.
The Secretary-General further observes that due to the dedication of the region’s Chiefs of Defence Forces, the Defence sector had undertaken the initiative to evaluate the defence co-operation with a view to coming up with a roadmap leading to a Defence Pact once the Protocol on Co-operation in Defence is ratified by all the Partner States.
“The entire East African Community and I share with Your Excellency, the bereaved family and the government and people of Uganda, the feelings of great loss at this moment of deep sorrow”, concludes the message.