EAC succession: Who is Caroline Mwende Mueke?

President William Ruto nominated Caroline Mwende Mueke as Secretary-General of the East African Community (EAC) in March this year.

Once approved by the EAC Heads of State, Mwende will replace Peter Mathuki, who was nominated and vetted as Kenya's new Ambassador to Russia, pending approval by Parliament.

Under the principle of rotation among the partner states, the EAC protocols state that the EAC Summit Heads of State appoint the Secretary-General following a nomination by the relevant Head of State.

As the chief executive officer of the Community, the Secretary-General is in charge of running the Secretariat, serving as the Summit's secretary, and performing any additional responsibilities that the Treaty or the Council may from time to time entrust him with. The Secretary General of the Community serves a fixed 5-year term, non-renewable term," EAC notes on its website.

The nomination is in line with the provisions of Article 67 of the EAC treaty.

According to Article 67(1), the Summit shall appoint the Secretary-General following a nomination by the relevant Head of State per the principle of rotation. 

Mwende’s nomination had been scheduled to be discussed today (Monday) by regional leaders through a virtual meeting but it was called off by South Sudan, which chairs the regional bloc.

Who is Mwende?

Caroline Mwende, a Nairobi native born in 1975, has dedicated her life to international relations and development, carving out an illustrious career spanning over 25 years. 

After earning her bachelor's degree in international relations from the United States International University, she pursued further studies, obtaining a Master’s in public administration and policy from New York University. 

Currently, Mwende is pursuing her PhD in Public Administration at the University of South Africa. 

As an international development and policy expert, Mwende has served as an international civil servant and technocrat in various capacities within the United Nations, including stints in South Sudan, South Africa, Georgia, the Republic of North Macedonia, the United States of America, and her home country, Kenya.

Notably, she played a pivotal role in developing strategies for the UN’s support of the implementation of the peace agreement in South Sudan signed in 2018 during her tenure as a senior political affairs officer and special adviser to the deputy special representative of the SG of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. 

Before her current role, Mwende held several senior advisory and management positions, including serving as a special advisor to the assistant secretary general and director for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Africa in New York from 2012 to 2015 and as a regional coordination advisor and head of the inter-agency secretariat for the UN Development Group in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 2007–2012. 

Additionally, she worked for UNDP’s Crisis Prevention Bureau in New York as a Programme Specialist responsible for Eastern Europe and Southern African countries from 2000–2007.

Mwende, if approved by regional leaders, is poised to take charge of a regional bloc that has expanded from three member states in 2000 to 8 in 2024.

The members are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania.

Dr Mathuki's exit 

Mathuki, whom Caroline Mwende Mueke is expected to replace, exited as Secretary-General of the East African Community (EAC) two years ahead of the end of his tenure. 

He was appointed in 2021 and replaced Burundi's Liberat Mfumukeko. 

Mathuki was also the second Kenyan to occupy the Secretary General's seat after Francis Muthaura (1996–2001). 

Others who have held the coveted SG post were Nuwe Amanya Mushega (2001–2006), Juma Mwapachu (2006–2011), Richard Sezibera (2011–2016), and Liberat Mfumukeko (2016–2021).