ENGINEER MLOTE EXITS EAC AFTER YEARS OF SUCCESSFUL ROAD PROJECTS

BY GRACE MACHA IN ARUSHA

Steven Mlote, the soft spoken engineer who has steered major road projects, has exited the East African Community (EAC).

He served the regional organization for six years from 2017 as deputy secretary general in charge of Planning and Infrastructure

Later as the EAC trimmed down appointments in the executive positions, he doubled as deputy SG for Finance and Administration docket.

The staff of the EAC and its organs and institutions gave him a formal farewell during a luncheon on Thursday last week, pouring lots of praise for his service.

Before joining the EAC, Mlote was the executive director of Engineers' Registration Board (ERB), technically the country's Registrar of Engineers.

His six year tenure at the regional organization saw the launching of major road projects in the bloc, most of them linking Tanzania with her neighbours.

Among those completed and officially launched include the 42km Arusha ByPass  which was constructed at the cost of Sh. 197billion.

The road projects launched for implementation were the 240km Arusha-Holili-Taveta-Voi being upgraded at an estimated cost of $ 400million.

The highway, currently at various levels of upgrading, is largely intended to link northern Tanzania, the Mombasa port and other areas of the neighbouring country.

Mr. Mlote's tenure at the East African Close,a seclusive neighbourhood near the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC), saw him overseeing other major projects.

These included upgrading of a road network linking the Masaka district in Uganda to Lusahunga in Kagera region.

Others are rehabilitation of the Lusahunga-Rusumo road that links the country and neighbouring Rwanda.

Among the roads that are being constructed from  scratch are Nyakanazi (in Kagera) through Kigoma region all the way to various towns in Burundi.

There are others linking Kenya and Uganda, Uganda and South Sudan, Burundi to Rwanda as others are planned for connecting the six EAC partner states with DR Congo, the new entrant.

As Mr. Mlote exits, he becomes the fifth Tanzanian national to serve in the capacity of the deputy SG, an executive position whose appointments are made by the Summit of the Heads of State.

Those who preceded him were the late Fulgence Kazaura who landed on the position when the EAC secretariat was launched in 1996.

The others were Ali Mchumo, Ahmad Ngemera and Dr. Enos Bukuku. In between, Amb Juma Mwapachu from Tanzania served as the EAC secretary general 2006-2011.

According to the EAC Treaty, the duties of the deputy SG are to deputize for the sitting SG and such other duties as may be prescribed.

The deputy secretaries general shall serve a three year term, renewable once. The SG shall serve for a fixed year term.

Mr. Mlote is leaving at the time the EAC is undergoing institutional transformation which will bring in major changes.

Under these, there will be only two deputy SGs instead of each country fielding one except the country whose national is an SG.

There will be only two dockets of the deputy SGs. One is Infrastructure,Productive Services and Political Sectors and the other is Customs, Trade and Monetary Affairs.

Andrea Ariik from South Sudan has been nominated for the position of deputy SG for Infrastructure, Productive Services and Political Sectors.

Ms Annette Ssemuwemba, from Uganda will hbe appointed the deputy SG and will be in charge of Customs, Trade and Monetary Affairs.