President Yoweri Museveni nearly failed to assume the rotating chairmanship of the East African Community (EAC) after government officials delayed payment of Uganda’s membership fees, Daily Star has learned.
Sources within the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (Uganda) said the required payment had not yet been initiated when the President departed for 25th Heads of State Summit of the EAC, held in Arusha, Tanzania.
Museveni had already boarded his flight to attend the regional bloc’s Heads of State summit in Arusha, Tanzania, triggering panic among officials at the ministry and the Bank of Uganda.
According to a source familiar with the matter, failure to clear the membership dues in time could have jeopardized Uganda’s ability to assume the bloc’s rotating leadership.
“I don’t know what is wrong with us. A simple failure to pay membership fees at the very moment the President was about to assume the EAC chairmanship could have cost some of us our jobs,” the source said.
Officials at the Bank of Uganda, including Governor Michael Ating-Ego, reportedly worked under pressure to ensure the payment was processed in time.
The urgency, sources say, was partly influenced by past incidents in which President Museveni took action against officials over lapses in duty. One such case involved former central bank official only identified as Mugwanya, who reportedly lost his position after missing a meeting with the President.
Although Mugwanya had been outside the country at the time, he returned to find his access to the Bank of Uganda blocked after his identification card was deactivated. He was later reinstated following intervention from his family.
Against that backdrop, Ating-Ego who was attending town hall meetings in Kamuli district kept in constant communication with his staff as they coordinated with the finance ministry to complete the payment.
Sources said the process took nearly the entire day, and by the time Museveni landed in Arusha for the summit, the payment had still not been fully effected.
“It was one of the most stressful days. Everyone was worried about the consequences if the payment delayed any further,” the source added.
Despite the scare, Museveni successfully assumed the rotating chairmanship of the East African Community during the bloc’s Heads of State Summit in Arusha.
He took over from William Ruto, President of Kenya, marking his third time to lead the regional bloc.
The EAC chairmanship rotates among member states annually. Museveni previously held the position in 2012 and 2017, and now returns to the role again in 2026.
