There is disquiet at the East African Community Secretariat in Arusha over the succession of the powerful position of Secretary-General when the incumbent Juma Mwapachu retires next April.

The EastAfrican has established that the original member states — Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania — want the rotation started afresh, to give newcomers Rwanda and Burundi time to acquaint themselves with the integration process before one of their own is considered for the seat.

But sources at the Secretariat intimate that Kigali and Bujumbura will hear none of this and want to be considered equal partners and be granted equal opportunity to all positions sooner rather than later.
Apparently this situation now has Uganda and Tanzania on one side in favour of Kenya getting the position to jumpstart the rotation, and Rwanda and Burundi on the other side demanding for equal opportunity.

If the former have their way, it means that the position would go to Kenya after Mwapachu’s retirement, then to Uganda, and back to Tanzania, after which the Summit would then decide who between Rwanda and Burundi can take over.

Ostensibly, this arrangement will lead the Community into its third decade considering that the Secretary-General serves for five years.

An authoritative source inside the Community says that there is justification in giving the position to Kenya, since the country has not held the post since 2001 when it was set at five-year non-renewable contract.

Kenya’s current Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Muthaura was appointed the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Commission for East African Co-operation in March 1996 and became the first Secretary-General of the re-established East African Community after the EAC Treaty came into force in July 2000 and left in 2001.

Effectively, sources argue, Kenya has not served under the new arrangement, which is what the country is asking for.

Uganda’s Amanya Mushega was the first Secretary-General under the new arrangement serving from 2001 to 2006, paving way for Mr Mwapachu.

Contacted by The EastAfrican, Mr Muthaura said that negotiations were going on at a high level but gave few details, saying that if Kenya is considered for the post, “We would appoint a senior government official.”

He added that Kenya has a strong case to negotiate for the post, but getting it would depend on the other partners agreeing.

He however also said that it was normal for partners to desire to have on of than own at the top. The Summit will make a decision when it convenes next April, when another top EAC position — that of the Executive Secretary of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, currently headed by Tom Okurut, also falls vacant.

The jostling over the position of Secretary-General comes amidst reports that lack of a human resources department at the EAC is affecting staff appointments, and could lead to some key posts being frozen.
Positions most threatened are mainly those within the donor-funded projects and programmes.

Mr Mwapachu, at a meeting with the Council of Ministers two weeks ago, admitted there have been “some faults” in the recruitment of key staff for the regional organisation because of delays in approving the candidates.

He cited the donor-funded health project where nearly no support staff have been recruited due to anomalies on staff appointments within the management of the secretariat.

The EAC boss admitted that there have been “divergent views” by the partner states on the way the professional staff should be appointed.

He emphasised the need to find replacements FOR key EAC Secretariat staff and staff at the Lake Victoria Basin Commission located in Kisumu.

LVBC is presently overseeing a $15 million annual budget and has secured a grant of $120 million from the African Development Bank to support the development of water and sanitation infrastructure in 15 secondary schools around the lake.

Mr Mwapachu said he was worried the LVBC does not have the capacity to manage such a huge budget effectively without having the key staff.

“To further postpone filling of these positions is to put this institution into uncertain financial vulnerability,” he said, adding that the East African Court of Justice was also short of key personnel.

He stressed that it would be in the interests of the Community if a bold decision was taken by the EAC Council of Ministers on the pros and cons of the system of equitable distribution of staff positions also known as staff quota system.

He also explained that the problem of staff recruitment may have exacerbated by failure by the Council and the partner states to be categorical on the principle of equitable distribution of staff positions.

He said there were cases where candidates who scored higher in the recruitment exercise could not be selected for appointment at EAC secretariat because of the principle of equitable distribution of staff positions.

“Clearly, there has to be a policy guidline as to how far this principle can be allowed to hold. In other words, at what and whose cost in the context of making the EAC an effective organisation?” he asked.

He said the system may not be in the interests of the EAC at times and that in recent days the EAC has opted for direct involvement of the Public Service Commissions’ of the partner states in the recruitment exercise.

There had also been a proposal to establish the East African Public Service Commission to take charge of the management and deployment of human resources in the EAC and its organs and institutions.