General
Arbitrary borders are only artificial-EAC Secretariat
“The borders of the East African countries Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi were a creation of European colonialism” remarked Rt. Hon. Eriya Kategaya amidst his opening remarks at the
“The borders of the East African countries Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi were a creation of European colonialism” remarked Rt. Hon. Eriya Kategaya amidst his opening remarks at the
East African Community (EAC) Sensitization workshop held at Makerere University on 7th May 2010.
The EAC was consolidated after the signing of a treaty by the Heads of State in 1999 and inaugurated in 2000.
The workshop was geared towards helping students and academic members of staff understand exactly what the EAC was, what it was doing to attain its goal of formation of a community and also act as an invaluable source of feedback on what can be improved within this effort.
As far back as 1897, the British tried to revive regional cooperation and integration for they had realized that they could not manage and administer effectively and efficiently small and unviable entities like Uganda Protectorate or Kenya Colony separately.
However, the integration declined and eventually collapsed due to problems such as inadequate involvement of the people in the decision-making process, and ideological differences among partner states.
However, on Friday, the First Deputy Prime Minster and Minister of East African Community Affairs Hon. Kategaya, reassured the congregation that this time around, there would be no such thing as a collapse. “The current East African Community is built on a firmer foundation and measures have been put in place to mitigate any collapse.” The minister highlighted.
In order to avoid another collapse, the current EAC secretariat is making the community more people-centered and market driven. Power has now been decentralized from the summit to the council of ministers; the civil societies, local government and private sector as the key stakeholders. Also, procedures for withdrawal from the community are more stringent and rigid.
“African states continue to be marginal players in the global world. We produce what we do not largely consume. We are the producers of the western world’s raw materials that they sell back to us expensively as processed goods” Hon Beatrice Kiraso, EAC Deputy Secretary General said.
Hon. Kiraso challenged the gathering to stand up against arbitrary borders. These borders are only artificial and are separating Africans that speak the same language and have the same cultures. She also urged that all Ugandans should be in favor of EAC because with it, Uganda ceases to be land locked.
“Countries that are more developed than the African countries have integrated such as the European Union which consists of 27 countries. This justifies our efforts to move towards integration too” added Hon. Kiraso.
With this, it is evident that deeper regional integration has become necessary for sustainable economic survival the world over. Donor countries have found it necessary to integrate for survival- the bigger, the better, the stronger!
In all, it is hoped that with integration, there will be more attractive investment and trading blocks, drastic reduction in the cost of doing business and also free movement of people and goods, among others.
Downloads
Ministry of East African Community Affairs overview (powerpoint)
Brief Overview of the EAC (powerpoint)
Frequently Asked Questions on the EAC
mwamai@admin.mak.ac.ug, Public Relations Office
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe on 20th April 2026 inaugurated the Second Makerere University Health User Committee (Mak-HUC). The Committee was established by the Vice Chancellor in 2022 as part of his strategic mandate to strengthen and oversee the University Hospital services delivery.
Chaired by Dr. Allen Kabagenyi from the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS), Mak-HUC has as its members; Prof. Josaphat K. Byamugisha-Director Makerere University Health Services (MakHS) and Dr. Daniel Ronald Ruhweza-Department of Law and Jurisprudence, School of Law.
Other members include; Dr. Arthur Kwizera-Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, College of Health Sciences (CHS) and Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) Representative, Dr. Lillian Tukahirwa-Makerere University Administrative Staff Association (MASA) Representative, Mr. Godfrey Othieno- National Union of Educational Institutions (NUEI) Representative, and as Secretariat, Ms. Kevin M. Nabiryo-Directorate of Human Resources.
The 2nd Mak-HUC has been appointed for a period of four years effective 1st January 2026 with a mandate to: Guide, monitor and oversee delivery of health services by MakHS; Represent the interests and concerns of staff and students that use MakHS; Advise on alignment with sustainable health financing and insurance models; Strengthen systems for fraud prevention, digital transformation and access to specialized treatment, among other responsibilities.
The 1st Mak-HUC was chaired by Dr. Allen Kabagenyi and had as members; Prof. Josaphat Byamugisha, Dr. Fred Mayambala, Dr. Zahara Nampewo, Mr. Othieno Godfrey, Mr. Apunyo Paul Okiria and Ms. Ikiriza Racheal. Milestones during the first era included; Outpatient Department visits growth from 4,802 (2022) to 7,388 (Nov 2025) for staff and 14,641 (2022) to 19,069 (Nov 2025) for students.
Others milestones included; Commissioning of a fully equipped Operating Theatre, Establishment of a modern Imaging Hub, Development of a fully functional Audiology Unit, Expansion of the Temporal Bone Laboratory, Launch of the Olink Proteomics Platform and Enhancement of the Dental Unit with 32 dental chairs and experienced personnel.
Related article: https://news.mak.ac.ug/2025/12/three-years-of-impact-makerere-university-health-user-committee-presents-status-report/
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