President William Samoei Ruto has called for stronger East African economic cooperation, urging regional leaders to pursue joint investments in strategic industries while also pushing for sweeping reforms in continental and global governance systems.
Speaking before the Parliament of the Tanzania in Dodoma on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, Ruto hailed Uganda’s decision to acquire a stake in the Kenya Pipeline Company, describing it as a bold step toward shared regional ownership of key infrastructure.
“The recent decision by Uganda to acquire a stake in Kenya Pipeline Company is significant. In one act, it transformed its role from a user to a partner, turning the pipeline into a shared regional asset,” Ruto said.
He revealed that discussions with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni inspired plans for a jointly owned oil refinery in Tanga, saying East African nations have the capacity to process their own crude instead of exporting raw materials and importing finished petroleum products.
“Tukiungana Tanzania, Uganda na Kenya tutaweza kujenga refinery ndio tuhakikishe ile mafuta tunairefine hapa kwetu na pesa inabaki hapa kwetu badala ya sisi kwenda kung’ang’ana kule Strait of Hormuz kuleta mafuta,” Ruto stated.
While noting he would have preferred such an investment in Kenya, Ruto emphasized that regional prosperity should outweigh national competition.
“ Ile refinery is a big investment, it’s in billions of dollars, kama mimi ningekuwa na nafasi ningeipeleka kule Kenya, lakini kwa sababu ya kuamini ujirani na bara letu la Afrika na Jumuiya yetu ya East Afrika sisi ni wamoja, nikasema ikijengwa Tanga ni kama vile imejengwa Kenya.
Mimi nawasaidia kuleta Investment Tanga, kama mngekuwa watu wangwana mngetulipa sisi wakenya, mmengesema asante sana. Let’s work as East Africans, what’s good for Kenya, is good for Tanzania.” he said.
Beyond regional economics, Ruto used the platform to call for urgent reforms within the African Union and global governance institutions, arguing that Africa’s growing population and influence can no longer be sidelined.
“The reform of the African Union is not optional, it is an imperative. We must build an institution that is leaner, more focused, more effective and decisively results-oriented,” he said.
Ruto also criticized the global security architecture for excluding Africa from key decision-making spaces.
“A council that excludes Africa cannot effectively secure Africa, and without Africa, there can no longer be global security,” the President declared, adding that “a global order that excludes a continent of 1.5 billion people is inherently incomplete.”
