Press Release

East African Community Secretariat; Arusha, Tanzania; 10 April 2017:|
The Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Hon. Christophe Bazivamo, has commended the EAC Partner States for their willingness to promote Tourism and Wildlife Management sector in a coordinated manner as illustrated by their renewed commitment in supporting regional tourism development and wildlife conservation, in the overall context advancing the EAC integration agenda.

The Deputy Secretary General, who was addressing Partner States’ delegates attending the just concluded 7th Meeting of the Sectoral Council on Tourism and Wildlife Management in Kampala, Uganda, reiterated the need to continuously market the region as a single destination and the need for the region to enhance its marketing strategies not only internationally but also regionally.

Hon. Christophe Bazivamo further noted that in the last decade, the region had witnessed a decline in wildlife population exacerbated by poaching and illegal trafficking of wildlife and wildlife products and commended the discussions by Partner States on anti-poaching initiatives being carried out in the region by individual Partner states and how those initiatives could be merged into a regional action plan to deal with poaching activities of wildlife and wildlife products.

The 7th Meeting of the Sectoral Council on Tourism and Wildlife Management considered amongst others; implementation status of previous decisions and directives of the Sectoral Councils/Council; the draft Regional Strategy to Combat Poaching and Illegal Trafficking of Wildlife and Wildlife products; the draft Terms of Reference for the two Sub-Committees on Tourism and Wildlife Conservation and Management; and Progress report of the activities of the Tourism and Wildlife Management Sector in general, including the draft Protocol of Cooperation in Tourism and Wildlife Management. The implementation of the Single Tourist Visa by all partner states was also tabled.

The Chair of the Sectoral Council commended the good work done by the Partner States in deliberating on key issues and reviewing progresses in the implementation of previous decisions and recommending the way forward for efficient and successful implementation of the tourism development and wildlife conservation programs and initiatives by the EAC. More importantly, he underscored the focus by Partner States on how to enhance their individual synergies to create the much-needed visibility but also to strategize on how to become a competitive block in relation to other tourist destinations.

The EAC Council of Ministers have recognized the serious threats to the survival of many wildlife species in the region and recommended the EAC Secretariat to develop regional strategy to combat poaching and illegal trafficking of wildlife and wildlife products. That strategy has been developed and awaits adoption by the Sectoral Council for its implementation.

The Sectoral Council meeting in Kampala also noted that progress had been made by the EAC in marketing the region with the view of ensuring that the sector makes tangible impact on the lives of the people of the region. It was noted that the region stands to benefit holistically from the Single Tourist Visa Regime. Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda were commended for introducing and implementing the Single Tourist Visa.

The meeting directed the EAC Secretariat to expedite crafting of a road map to guide the full implementation of the Single Tourist Visa Regime by all EAC Partner States.

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For more information, please contact:

Mr Owora Richard Othieno
Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255 784 835021
Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org

About the East African Community Secretariat:

The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 10th March 2022: The East African Community Secretariat urges EAC Partner States to step up measures to prevent and respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases following heavy rains in parts of the EAC region. The recommendation follows reports of an outbreak of Yellow Fever in Kenya that has caused the death of at least three people and information on outbreaks of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) among livestock in EAC Partner States received by the EAC Secretariat.

“The heavy rainfalls and high temperatures have resulted in high numbers of mosquitos which transmit vector-borne diseases,” says EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Hon. Christophe Bazivamo. He has urged EAC Partner States to report such outbreaks to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) as required and cautioned that the outbreaks of Rift Valley Fever might be followed by human cases if adequate measures are not taken in time. He also alled for EAC Partner States to step up disease surveillance, control, and vaccination against Yellow Fever among their citizens.

Kenya’s Ministry of Health reported on 5th March, 2022 that the government has activated its health emergency response mechanisms following the death of three persons attributed to an outbreak of Yellow Fever in Isiolo County, Eastern Kenya. According to the report, the first case was detected on January 12th this year. Subsequently, 15 patients presented with yellow fever symptoms that include headache, fever, jaundice, muscle and joint pains.

Yellow Fever epidemics can occur when infected people introduce the virus into heavily populated areas with high mosquito density and where most people have little or no immunity, due to a lack of vaccination. Mosquitoes can then transmit the virus from person to person. Patients who contract the virus develop severe symptoms and about 20% of those die within 7 to 10 days (although there are wide variations among countries). Yellow fever is prevented by an extremely effective vaccine, which is safe and affordable. Although there is no cure for Yellow Fever, a single dose of vaccine is sufficient to grant sustained immunity and life-long protection against the disease.

The EAC Secretariat recommends that people protect themselves and especially children against mosquito bites by using mosquito nets, applying insect repellents and avoiding outdoor activities at peak biting times of mosquitos and by eliminating potential mosquito breeding sites.

Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a disease that affects and kills humans and animals. It is caused by a virus spread by blood sucking mosquitoes and can be transmitted to those individuals who are in close contact with contaminated blood, such as veterinarians, butchers, or animal handlers. Although RVF often causes severe illness in animals, most people with RVF have either no symptoms or a mild illness with fever, weakness, back pain, and dizziness. However, a small percentage (8-10%) of people with RVF develop much more severe symptoms, including eye disease, hemorrhage (excessive bleeding), and encephalitis (swelling of the brain). RVF can also cause significant economic losses due to death and abortion among RVF-infected livestock.

People should practice hand hygiene, wear gloves and other appropriate individual protective equipment when handling sick animals or their tissues or when slaughtering animals. In case of an RVF outbreak, people should avoid consuming fresh blood, raw milk or animal tissue and products without thoroughly roasting them.

The EAC Secretariat further recommends that Partner States intensify risk communication activities with preventive messages that enable the public to manage the risks at hand. In addition, meteorology departments should continue to monitor and analyse the weather patterns and share information with other departments to plan and prepare for outbreaks of infectious diseases of public health concern.

For more information, please contact:

Simon Peter Owaka
Senior Public Relations Officer
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255 768 552087
Email: sowaka [at] eachq.org

About the East African Community Secretariat:

The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of six Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001: 2015 Certified

Over the past few months, the world has seen COVID-19 wreak havoc as fatalities rise and economies fall, setting in motion a global recession. Now spreading across Africa, the virus is finding its way into poor rural communities, neighborhoods of the urban poor, refugee camps, and middle and upper-class neighborhoods, where cosmopolitan travellers may have brought it to the continent. Hope exists that the experience of past public health crises, lockdown measures, and the younger population will help reduce the impacts. 

As in other places, COVID is colliding with economic contraction, conflict, and climate-related disasters, bringing to the foredeep inequalities. In East Africa, the pandemic is aggravated by the simultaneous resurgence of one of the largest outbreaks of locusts in decades in the region, raising fears of devastating food shortages while countries are struggling to contain the pandemic. 

To slow the spread of the virus, several countries have shut their borders; on March 23rd, Kenya and Uganda closed their two busiest border posts at Busia and Malaba, allowing only heavy commercial vehicles with a driver and assistant to cross and requiring them to pass a COVID 19 swab test. With these restrictions, Kenya and Uganda-bound trucks and fuel tankers on the border have been stuck for hours, one driver reporting he spent more than 12 hours waiting for Kenyan officials to let him through. Recently, drivers in Malaba went on strike to protest the conditions.