This archive report was first published on 18 December 2021.
On December 22, the East African Community (EAC) is set to hold an extraordinary Heads of State Summit, where the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) admission to the EAC will be top on the agenda.
According to sources, the Summit will be chaired by Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, who will preside over the virtual meeting.
However, not all member states have agreed to attend the meeting, leaving the outcome uncertain.
The Summit will also consider a proposal to amend the EAC Treaty on the decision-making process, which will allow decisions to be made by a two-thirds majority of the members.
Adan Mohamed, Kenya's EAC Cabinet Secretary and chair of the Council of Ministers, explained that the proposed amendment will enable decision-making when consensus fails.
The Council has also recommended amending the Rules of Procedure of the Summit and the Council to enable a quorum of two-thirds of the members.
Additionally, the Council has deliberated on the EAC staff recruitment and composition of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ).
The admission of DRC is based on a verification report carried out by a special team led by EAC Secretary General Peter Mathuki.
Adan Mohamed stated that the recommendations made to the Summit will formalize the admission of DRC, which has been in the process of joining the EAC since June 2021.
The verification exercise was launched by DRC President Felix Tshisekedi on June 25, 2021, and the team visited Kinshasa between June 26 and July 5.
The objective of the verification was to establish DRC's level of conformity with the criteria for admission of foreign states in accordance with Article 3 (2) of the EAC Treaty.
