Addressing Tanzania’s Parliament in the capital, Dodoma, on Tuesday at the close of a two-day official visit hosted by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Ruto said mistrust rather than poor infrastructure or weak policy — remains the greatest barrier to stronger regional ties.

“For far too long, our relations have been shaped by competition, suspicion and rivalry,” Ruto told lawmakers. “These forces have fragmented markets, weakened cooperation and constrained our collective voice.”

The Kenyan leader said East African nations must move beyond historical divisions and embrace a shared vision centred on economic transformation, industrialisation and regional self-reliance.

“Our true enemies are not each other. They are unemployment, poverty and underdevelopment,” he said.

Ruto framed closer Kenya-Tanzania cooperation as critical not only for the future of the East African Community (EAC), but also for Africa’s broader economic ambitions under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which seeks to create the world’s largest free trade area by number of participating countries.

Energy partnership and regional industrialisation

In one of the most significant announcements of the visit, Ruto said Kenya is prepared to support plans for a proposed oil refinery in Tanzania’s Tanga region linked to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), which is expected to transport crude oil from Uganda’s Hoima fields to the Tanzanian port city of Tanga.

Ruto said he had discussed the proposal with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who backs the initiative.

The refinery project, he said, could strengthen regional energy security, expand industrial capacity and create employment opportunities across East Africa.

He also urged African countries to reduce dependence on external capital and instead harness domestic resources and regional partnerships to accelerate industrial development.

Expanding trade and investment

Ruto highlighted growing cross-border investment between Kenya and Tanzania as evidence of improving economic integration.

According to figures cited in the speech, more than 500 Kenyan companies have invested over 1.7 billion US dollars in Tanzania across sectors including manufacturing, logistics, finance, agriculture and energy.

At the same time, Tanzanian investments in Kenya are estimated at around 336 million US dollars, reflecting increasingly interconnected economies within the region.

“This flow of capital reflects the private sector’s critical role as the engine of regional integration,” Ruto said.

He noted that intra-EAC trade still accounts for only between 15 and 20 per cent of total trade among member states, describing the figure as a sign of untapped potential rather than failure.

Analysts have long argued that East Africa’s economic growth prospects depend on removing non-tariff barriers, improving transport links and deepening political trust among member states.

Shared political legacy

Ruto’s speech also carried symbolic significance, drawing on the legacy of East Africa’s founding leaders, including Julius Nyerere and Jomo Kenyatta, both of whom championed regional unity and self-reliance after independence.

The address continues a tradition of high-level parliamentary diplomacy between Nairobi and Dodoma. President Samia addressed Kenya’s Parliament during a state visit in 2021, while former Tanzanian presidents Jakaya Kikwete and John Magufuli also delivered speeches in Nairobi focused on trade, infrastructure and regional integration.

Following the address, Tanzania’s National Assembly Speaker Mussa Azzan Zungu praised the growing partnership between the two neighbours and said regional stability remains essential for economic development.

Cabinet ministers and lawmakers from both ruling and opposition benches also welcomed the renewed push for stronger East African cooperation, with several describing the speech as a reminder that national borders should not overshadow the region’s shared social, political and economic ties.

Notes to Editors

· Kenyan President William Ruto addressed the Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania in Dodoma on May 5, 2026, during a two-day official visit hosted by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

· The speech focused on strengthening regional integration, economic cooperation and political trust between Tanzania and Kenya within the framework of the East African Community and the African Continental Free Trade Area.

· President Ruto emphasised that mistrust and rivalry among East African nations have historically slowed economic growth, weakened cooperation and limited the region’s global influence.

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