East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 22 July 2019: The confirmation of a fatal Ebola case in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) further increases the risk for the East African Community (EAC) region of the outbreak crossing the borders. The Ituri province is only 70 km from the South Sudanese border and even closer to the Ugandan border. The first three cases of Ebola in the EAC region were diagnosed in Uganda in June 2019 and triggered strong response measures by the Ugandan government. Trade is vibrant between DRC and the EAC region and can exacerbate the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) due to the high mobility of people and goods. In the light of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern declared by the World Health Organization,) Dr Michael Katende, acting Head of Health at the EAC Secretariat urges the Partner States to strongly engage the communities in the border regions and traders and trade associations in risk and crisis communication measures. “This is particularly important, as most of the border line is porous and difficult to control” says Katende, “informal and formal traders need to know the risk and be able to take informed decisions to minimise it and to actively take precautions.”
EAC Partner States have put in place precautionary measures to stop the spread of EVD into the EAC region. This includes vaccinating frontline health workers, screening all travellers at points of entry including airports and training the first responders in case of an outbreak. However, these measures might not be sufficient. Dr Michael Katende, acting Head of Health at the EAC Secretariat was especially concerned about EVD spreading into South Sudan with its still rather weak health system.
The EAC Secretariat calls upon the Partner States to increase risk and crisis communication by involving community, religious and other leaders and the media in public awareness raising. At the same time, the Secretariat calls upon traders and trade associations and those travelling across the border with DRC to take extra precaution, as the EVD threat is real:
All people crossing the border should cooperate with immigration, health and security officials who are conducting screening at the points of entry and should strictly follow their advice.
Frontline health workers and members of the affected communities should accept to be vaccinated against EVD for their own protection and to help prevent the further spread of EVD.
People in the affected regions should avoid unnecessary ‘body to body’ contact as this is the main way of disease transmission.
The public should be vigilant and immediately inform the nearest health workers when spot a person with signs of EVD which are: fever, severe headache, body weakness, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, and unexplained haemorrhage (bleeding or bruising) from various body outlets like the nose, ears and mouth. This is particularly important along the “green border” where no screening measures are in place.
-ENDS-
Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern
Mr Owora Richard Othieno Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 784 835021 Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of six Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 13th July, 2019: The Chiefs of Prisons/Correctional services of the EAC Partner States held an Extra-Ordinary Meeting in Kampala,Uganda from 11th to 12th July 2019. The meeting was convened to validate and adopt a Capacity Building Training Needs Assessment on Human Rights within the Prisons/Correctional Services of the EAC Partner States.
The meeting, chaired by the Commissioner General of Rwanda Correctional Service, Mr. Andrew Rwigamba, was attended by the Commissioner General of the Kenya Prisons Service, Mr. Wycliffe Ogallo, the Commissioner General Uganda Prisons Service Dr Johnson Byabashayija, while the Commissioner General of Prisons United Republic of Tanzania was represented by DCP John Masunga, the Director General Burundi Penitentiary Service by Mr. Aloys Habonimana and the Director General South Sudan Prisons Service by Maj Gen Longar Wol Dhel.
East African Court of Justice Arusha, 5th July, 2019: The First Instance Division granted an interim order restraining the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) from pursuing the recruitment process in respect of the position of Chief Research and Innovation Coordination Officer, until the determination of the main Case (Reference No.13 of 2017).
The Court said that it was satisfied that the Application has been conceded by the Respondent (IUCEA) through her supporting affidavit in reply, having agreed to suspend and halt the recruitment process in issue, pending the determination of the case. The court therefore did not subscribe to Counsel to the Community (CTC), Dr Anthony Kafumbe’s contention during the hearing of the Application, arguing that the Application is moot. Hence court granted the order.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 4th July, 2019: A total of 35 out of 286 projects identified by the East African Community Heads of State as priority infrastructure development projects have been completed and are now operational.
The EAC Heads of State Joint Retreat on Infrastructure and Health Financing and Development held in Kampala, Uganda on 22nd February, 2018, approved a set of 286 priority infrastructure projects in various sectors for joint promotion and coordinated implementation by the Partner States.
East African Court of Justice Arusha 3rd July, 2019: The First Instance Division dismissed a case filed by the government of Burundi challenging the process of electing the Speaker of the 4th East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), which was carried out on 19th December. 2017 without the participation of Members of Parliament from the Republic of Burundi and the United Republic of Tanzania.
According to the Court, the case at hand gravitated around EALA’s compliance with the legal regime applicable to the election of Speaker thereof. The Court stated that the bone of contention between the parties was what (if any) was the quorum of the House for purposes of the election of a Speaker. It opined that such matter depicted a question of fact that must be established by cogent evidence.
East African Kiswahili Commission, Zanzibar, 3rd July, 2019: The African Union has partnered with the EAC to set the pace for the recognition and promotion of Kiswahili as a Language of Wider Communication in the whole of Africa. Under The Dar-es-Salaam Framework of Action adopted by the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN), AU’s specialized institution mandated to develop and promote African Languages, and the East African Kiswahili Commission (Kamisheni ya Kiswahili Afrika Mashariki - KAKAMA), an EAC institution charged with harmonization, coordination and promotion of the development and use of Kiswahili for regional integration and sustainable development, the two organizations agreed and committed to work closely and with other organizations on the continent and beyond to achieve the set goal.
Addressing a Consultative Meeting on the Promotion of Kiswahili as a Language of Wider Communication in Africa held on 26th-28th June, 2019 in Dar-es-Salaam, the Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Harrisson G. Mwakyembe, challenged participants drawn from across the continent to galvanize the spirit and energy of Pan-Africanism and the need for Africa and persons of African descent to be united.
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, Tanzania: 27 June, 2019:The Assembly has approved the EAC Budget estimates for the Financial Year 2019/20.
The EAC Budget presented to the House last week by the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, United Republic of Tanzania, Hon Dr Damas Ndumbaro, amounts to USD111,450,529.
The EAC Budget is to be appropriated as follows: East African Community Secretariat ($53,296,404), East African Legislative Assembly ($18,973,845) and the East African Court of Justice ($4,225,241).
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 27th June 2019: A five-day regional Refresher training workshop to raise awareness of EAC Women Security Officers on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325(UNSCR 1325) is underway at the Beach Hotel, Entebbe, Uganda.
The 25th -29th June workshop is dedicated to increasing knowledge, skills and awareness on the UNSCR 1325 to Security Women Officers with the intention of promoting the role of women in Peace and Security, specifically at policy level so as to build a formidable force of women officers trained on Women Peace and Security
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 27th June 2019: A three-day Competition and Communication Experts Meeting to validate the draft East African Competition Authority (EACA) Outreach and Advocacy Strategy (2019/20 – 2024/25) concluded today in Nairobi, Kenya.
The 26th to 28th June meeting was attended by Competition and Communication Experts from all the Partner States and staff from the EAC Secretariat. The Republic of Rwanda is the current chair of the EAC hence according to the EAC Rules of Procedures, Mr. Louis Uwimana, from Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, chaired the meeting while, Mr. Feisal Ibrahim, from the Competition Authority of Kenya was the Rapporteur.
…dissociates Government/citizens & clears the air over remarks made by Starehe legislator
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, Tanzania: 27 June, 2019: The Government of Kenya has clarified the matter over the recent offensive utterances made by a Member of Parliament of Starehe Constituency in Nairobi.
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of East African Community and Regional Development, Hon Adan Mohammed, informed the Sitting of the East African Legislative Assembly this morning that Republic of Kenya was “duly and fully” committed to the EAC integration process.
In addition, Hon Mohammed, while dissociating the Government of the Republic of Kenya from the utterances of the MP, sounded a stern warning to other like-minded leaders in the country and region who may be harboring similar agenda.
