GUILD PRESIDENTS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY SUMMIT OF 24TH APRIL 2025: POLITICAL INTEGRATION OF EAST AFRICA. SPEECH BY HON. MATTHEW RUKIKAIRE.
H.E and Former President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta and Guest of Honor.
H.E. Vice President of Uganda Maj. (Rtd) Jessica Alupo
Rt. Hon and Former Prime Minister of Uganda Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda
Hon. Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Nobert Mao
Your Excellencies the Ambassadors
Chairperson of the Electoral Commission Justice Simon Mugenyi Byabakama
Vice Chancellor Makerere University Professor Barnabas Nawangwe
Staff of Makerere University
Executive Director Guild Presidents Leadership Academy Mr. Demieno Masesa
Members of the Guild Presidents Leadership Academy
Guild Leadership Academy Guests from Neighboring East African States
Ladies and Gentlemen
I welcome you all to this summit gathering. A special welcome goes to our guest of honor, H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta. The Kenyatta family has always had a special place in the hearts of Ugandans and continues to enjoy a lot of support and love. Your father’s gallant contribution to fight against British colonialism is fresh in our minds.
At another level, for the years between 1981 and 1986, Kenya was home to the National Resistance Movement External Committee of which I was chairman. Nairobi became an NRM base of activities, both clandestine and public. The NRM government and the people of Uganda will always remember the support and hospitality extended to Ugandans who lived in Kenya and many still do and work there.
At a personal level, my family have lived in Kenya for a total of 12 years where I worked and did some business; and our children grew up and went to school. So we have fond memories of our life in Kenya and kindly extend our family’s gratitude to the people of Kenya.
Back to the subject of my topic,
By the time the three East African countries, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda got their independence between 1961 and 1963, they were more integrated than in their 60 years of independence. It was an irony that the colonial masters brought East Africa closest to political integration than the post-independence African leaders have been able to do. In 1977 I served as the East African Community representative to the European Economic Community (EEC), in Brussels and by comparison the East African economic integration was more advanced than the EEC. It was common for me to be asked by officials of the EEC Commission to explain how East Africa had achieved that level of integration which was still eluding the European countries.
Among the East African leaders were visionaries who wanted to ignore this contradiction and seize the historic opportunity to build an East African political federation founded on the structures created by the British. The leading proponent of this was Julius Nyerere at the time, President of Tanganyika, supported by Tom Mboya, who had the full support of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, then Prime Minister of a self-governing Kenya. Nyerere had offered to delay the date of Tanganyika’s independence and wait for Kenya and Uganda to gain theirs so they could federate at the same time. Uganda, under Obote procrastinated and offered Buganda’s resistance to the federation as a reason to suggest that Uganda was not yet ready for an East African Federation. In Uganda there was strong support from some individual leaders such as John Kakonge and Grace Ibingira and others.
As a result of that missed historic opportunity, 60 years have been lost. Efforts have continued and still continue to move forward the dream of an East African political federation but many political obstacles still exist.
I was myself a witness to these visions and frustrations. I happen to have been president of the student’s guild at Makerere in 1962/63 when the heads of governments of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda assembled here at Makerere to inaugurate the University of East Africa and to break away from being a college of London University. Present at this momentous occasion were Julius Nyerere, Milton obote, and James Gichuru, representing Prime Minister Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. I was their host and shared a platform with them to pronounce ourselves on the imperative of East African unity, soon to sound hollow by rapid disintegration of the then existing East African structures. The students whom I represented were rock solid supporters of the East African integration and it was the reason that I was overwhelmingly elected by an East African student’s constituency because I was a strong advocate of the East African political federation.
Once again the organization of the guild presidents leadership academy have created yet another opportunity for the people of East Africa and their leaders to contribute to the vision of an East African political federation.
At the last summit held on 15TH April 2024, I proposed that the Ugandan summit of the guild presidents’ leadership academy be extended to become East African and that H.E Jakaya Kikwete to become the patron. This proposal was seconded by the patron of the Uganda chapter Rt.Hon. Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda and was adopted by acclamation. Subsequently, H.E Jakaya Kikwete accepted to become the patron of the East African organization now in formation. Hence the presence of our guest students from other East African Universities.
Since then H.E Jakaya Kikwete has continued to network in support of the establishment of a regional body and has already, as you can see, brought H.E Uhuru Kenyatta on board. We are grateful to you your Excellency for the gesture and commitment to this noble cause as exemplified by your presence here as guest of honor.
Rt Hon. Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda and I have had meetings with H.E President Museveni and he is in full support of the developing co-operation in this area. The presence of H.E. the Vice President Maj. (Rtd) Jessica Alupo here signifies that support and I thank her for her presence.
The challenges before this body are enormous and the opportunities offered are great. The forces being mobilized from the young and old to tackle those challenges are up to the tasks. The young men and women of sixty years ago are now the old men and women of today and are united with the young men and women of today in facing these tasks together.
Time does not stand still. New generations are coming and going. When I was president of the student’s guild in 1962/63, I was only 23 years old but now am an old man of 87years. At the time I was president of the guild, President Jakaya Kikwete was only 13 years old and president Uhuru of Kenya was 1 year old. President Museveni was about 16 years old and still attending secondary school at Ntare. Because I was a successful student at Ntare I used to be recruited as a student/teacher and one of my students was President Museveni. President Museveni remembers most of the things I taught him, some of which I have forgotten myself. I think that is the reason he is President and I am not.
So we have a convergence of purpose at these summits of the old generation at the highest level of leaders and of the young generation of leaders looking to become the leaders of tomorrow. All efforts are being made to mobilize the leaders in all East African countries to support your effort for this cause.
I have spelled out my vision in a paper I presented as a keynote speaker at the 100th Year Anniversary of Makerere founding two years ago, and I repeated some of it at the last summit of this guild president’s leadership academy last year. I have asked the organizers to circulate that document and, to save time, I will not repeat what I said.
Once again let me thank the organizers of these summits, through you Mr. Demiano Masesa, the Executive Director of the guild presidents leadership academy for inviting me to address this summit again and for your resolve to break through the barriers which have stood in the way of the East African people who dream to see themselves in a united prosperous federation of East Africa.
I thank you