EAC Goes Broke as States Default on Dues

The East African Community (EAC) is on serious staffing and financial crisis as member states fail to meet obligations on their budget contributions. Due to this unforeseen failure, EAC now cripples behind on its budget with $58 million as of March 2025.

Except Kenya, Tanzania who have met their obligations and nearly Uganda, DR Congo, Burundi, South Sudan, and Somalia have been noted as major defaulters.

The shortness incurred through this delayed payment, has now staggered the operations of bloc’s key organs including the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) and the East African Legislative Assembly
(EALA). The above organs have less allocations to execute their duties perfectly well, from this financial year’s budget.

The financial strain has severely hampered the EAC’s ability to deliver on its core mandates. The EACJ faces a backlog of over 260 cases, with judges serving only on a part-time basis, while EALA sessions have been canceled due to a lack of funds.

Besides, there have been manifestation of staffing gaps which keeps widening to about 150 vacancies unfilled with additional 30 senior staff expected to exit without plans to find replacement.

Partner states’ failure to remit dues has raised questions about the EAC’s value proposition, with concerns growing that new members like DR Congo are not fully committed to integration efforts amid internal conflicts that rams across the new member state.

Ahead of the June 2025 budget cycle, the bloc’s leadership under Secretary-General
Veronica Nduva and the Council of Ministers continue to find solutions against storming pressure to resolve remittance issues.

This crisis highlights the urgent need for structural reforms, stronger financial enforcement mechanisms, and a redefinition of member obligations. Without swift action, the EAC risks losing credibility as a driver of regional integration and economic cooperation, with direct implications for trade, security, and justice across East Africa