The Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) today conducted a handover and takeover ceremony for the position of Director at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs Headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala, marking the end of Brigadier General (Rtd) Paul Kahuria Njema’s three-year tenure and the official assumption of office by Brigadier General Ronald Rwivanga of Rwanda.
The ceremony was presided over by Uganda’s Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Jacob Marksons Oboth, who also serves as Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of the EASF.
In his remarks, Oboth commended Brig Gen Paul Kahuria Njema for his dedicated leadership during his tenure, which he said had strengthened the institution through improved operational readiness, enhanced governance structures, and prudent financial management.
“Your service has been clearly demonstrated through commitment to the very foundation of EASF’s work, the four pillars of our strategic plan. You ensured these pillars were not only understood, but consistently upheld in day-to-day planning and execution,” said Hon. Oboth.
Hon. Oboth welcomed the incoming Director, Brig Gen Ronald Rwivanga and challenged him to build on the gains already made by the organisation.
“You are stepping into big shoes. You inherit not only the achievements of the past, but also high expectations and a community committed to working with you in unity, professionalism, and purpose,” he said.
He further urged Brig Gen Rwivanga to leverage Rwanda’s experience in innovation, discipline, and institutional rebuilding to strengthen EASF operations.
On the issue of withdrawal of some external partners, including the African Peace and Security Architecture Support Programme and other international stakeholders, Hon. Oboth said that this meant that the force would need stronger internal resource mobilisation and greater self-reliance among member states.
“Your personality and institutional provision will be required to mobilise for resources, especially from the member states in view of the current situation in the world, which calls for nations and organisations to be self-reliant,” he said.
Hon. Oboth also called on the new director to improve the visibility and credibility of the organisation.
“Many people are asking, is the Eastern African Standby Force a force or something else? Are they really standing by or are they something else? So we expect you to counter this. Together, we will continue to strengthen the force’s ability to serve Eastern Africa with credibility and results,” he added.
In his farewell remarks, Brig Gen (Rtd) Njema described his time at the helm of the organisation as a period of collective resilience and regional cooperation aimed at advancing peace and security in Eastern Africa.
“Today marks not only the end of my tenure as Director of the Eastern Africa Stand-by Force, but also a moment of reflection on a remarkable journey of collective resilience, cooperation, and service to peace and security within our region,” he said.
Brig Gen Njema noted that during his leadership, EASF enhanced institutional capacity and operational readiness through improved planning, training, exercises, and coordination among member states.
He also cited improved cooperation with strategic partners, strengthened policy frameworks, enhanced accountability, and increased financial stability as some of the key milestones achieved during his tenure.
He urged member states to increase their financial contributions to ensure the sustainability and operational effectiveness of the regional standby mechanism.
“There is an urgent need for us to adopt more inward-looking and sustainable approaches. We must go back to the founding principles of African solutions to African problems,” Njema said.
Meanwhile, incoming Director Brig Gen Rwivanga pledged to serve the organisation with transparency, professionalism, and accountability. He described his appointment as both an honour and a solemn duty to serve the region in advancing collective peace and security.
He emphasised that the contemporary security environment in Africa continues to evolve rapidly, with emerging threats such as terrorism, violent extremism, cybercrime, unconstitutional changes of government, climate-induced disasters, and humanitarian crises.
He appealed to member states to provide sustained political, operational, and financial support to the organisation, stressing that predictable funding was critical to strengthening EASF’s readiness and effectiveness.
Brig Gen Rwivanga emphasised the growing importance of humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations, saying EASF must remain relevant to the people of the region beyond conventional peace support missions.
“We have committed ourselves as EASF that whenever there is a humanitarian issue or disaster, whether floods, droughts, earthquakes, diseases like Ebola, or displaced people, the force stands ready to support member states whenever such disasters strike,” he said.
He said that strengthening humanitarian and disaster response capabilities would improve public confidence in regional cooperation and reinforce EASF’s image as a people-centred institution committed to human security.
The Eastern Africa Standby Force is one of the African Union’s regional standby mechanisms established to support peacekeeping operations, conflict prevention, humanitarian assistance, and regional security interventions across Eastern Africa.
The ceremony was attended by: the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces (UPDF) who is also the Chairperson of the Chief of Defence Forces of EASF, Lt Gen Sam Okiding; Chief of Joint Staff, Lt Gen Jack Bakasumba; UnderSecretary – Air Force, Mr James Mutabazi, Chief of Staff – Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability, Brig Gen Flavia Byekwaso; the EASF Chief of Staff, Brig Gen Stephen Kashure, senior officers and members of the EASF Secretariat.
