‘The First Deputy Prime Minister tells the Mombasa Summit that Uganda and Kenya must lead by example in delivering the freedom of movement the EAC promised its people’.
The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Community Affairs, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, called on Uganda and Kenya to lead the East African Community in turning free movement from a promise into practice, with tourism as the place where its benefits are felt first. She was delivering the keynote address at the 5th Uganda–Kenya Coast Tourism and Innovation Summit in Mombasa on 26 October.
The Community promised its people the “freedom to move, work and do business” across their borders, the First Deputy Prime Minister said, and Article 104 of the EAC Treaty is that promise. She urged Uganda and Kenya to lead by example and to turn good intentions into actions the rest of the Community can follow. Tourism cooperation, she added, must go beyond promoting destinations to empowering local communities, protecting natural resources and creating sustainable economic opportunities.
What Needs to Change
Rt. Hon. Kadaga called for formal cooperation frameworks, business-friendly policies, better transport infrastructure and improved visitor safety. Delegates examined where implementation of Article 104 falls short: inconsistent border procedures, paperwork and limited public awareness of travel rights, which weigh most heavily on young people and on tourism and business travel. Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for EAC, ASALs and Regional Development, Hon. Beatrice Askul Moe, said regional integration is measured by how easily citizens, goods and services cross borders.
Speaking for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Charles Ssentongo said trade barriers between the two countries are being addressed through the Uganda–Kenya Joint Permanent Commission and called for practical, time-bound solutions. He also noted that tourism is one of four sectors, with agriculture, minerals, and science, technology and innovation, on which Uganda’s Ten-Fold Growth Strategy relies.
Integration You Can Count
The case for easier movement is already visible in the numbers: Kenyan visitors to Uganda reached 519,041 in 2025, up from 466,902, while Ugandan arrivals in Kenya grew to 234,556, making Uganda Kenya’s second-largest source market. Ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania will co-host, industry players also pressed for lower cross-border travel costs.
The Summit signed four memoranda of understanding between tourism and business bodies from the two countries, and is expected to produce a joint declaration on Article 104 for the EAC Secretariat and a communiqué with named commitments, to be reviewed at the 2027 edition. For the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, which was represented by Minister of State Susan Nakawuki Nsambu and Commissioner for Tourism Development Vivian Lyazi, the message was clear: when two neighbours make it easy for visitors and businesses to move, the whole Community gains.
