President William Ruto’s tenure as Chairman of the East African Community (EAC) is drawing to a close. His one-year term ends in November 2025, marking a pivotal moment for the regional bloc. The rotating chairmanship will soon pass to another head of state, raising important questions about who will take the helm and what this transition will mean for East Africa’s integration agenda.

 

The EAC operates on a clear rotational system in which the chairmanship rotates annually among Partner States. Each summit of heads of state determines the next chair. This year, the summit will take place from the 24th to the 29th of November. While the rotation typically follows alphabetical order, there is flexibility.  Following the rotation, Somalia’s President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, is a potential successor to President Ruto. During the November 2024 EAC Summit, it was announced that President Mohamud would serve as the rapporteur for the next year, with the potential to assume the chairperson position afterwards. Political considerations and consensus among Partner States are crucial to the final decision. The incoming chair is usually announced at the summit where the current term concludes, making the upcoming gathering particularly significant.

 

If President Mohamud were to be selected as the next Chair of the EAC, it would mark a historic moment for both Somalia and the bloc. Somalia became a full EAC Partner in March 2024. His appointment would symbolise the country’s growing reintegration into regional politics after decades of instability, but it would also come with challenges. 

 

Somalia is still battling Al-Shabaab insurgents, managing political tensions between federal and regional states, and working to stabilise its institutions ahead of elections. While President Mohamud could bring new energy to regional security and maritime trade cooperation, domestic struggles could impact leadership. The decision would, therefore, carry both symbolic and practical implications, signalling the EAC’s inclusivity while testing Somalia’s readiness to play a larger regional role.

 

The transition comes at a delicate time for the bloc. Trade disputes continue to simmer between Partner States, infrastructure projects demand sustained political will, and security concerns, particularly in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), require coordinated responses. 

 

The incoming chair will inherit these challenges, and their approach to regional integration will set the tone for the coming year. Whether they prioritise economic harmonisation or allow political and security issues to dominate the agenda remains to be seen. Another dynamic worth monitoring is the relationship between older and newer members, as Burundi, Rwanda, and South Sudan joined after the original trio of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. At the same time, the DRC’s and Somalia’s recent accession has shifted regional power dynamics even further.

 

The chairmanship carries weight beyond its ceremonial aspects. The chair sets the summit agenda, mediates disputes between Partner States, and represents the EAC in international forums. Yet the position has inherent limitations, as the EAC Secretariat in Arusha handles day-to-day operations while the Council of Ministers drives policy implementation. Real power is diffused across multiple institutions, meaning the incoming chair must work within this system where consensus-building becomes essential and unilateral actions rarely succeed in the EAC’s collaborative framework.

 

Furthermore, East Africa stands at a crossroads as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) gains momentum, global powers increase their engagement with the region, and climate change reshapes economic priorities. The next EAC chair will navigate these currents, and their leadership could either accelerate integration or stall momentum. As the summit approaches, diplomatic activity will intensify, with conversations already happening behind closed doors about the region’s future direction. 

 

The outcome will shape East Africa’s trajectory for the coming year, raising not just the question of who will lead, but what kind of leadership the region needs now and whether the incoming chair can deliver it.

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