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DevNews Desk| East Africa. Urge- DevWire
EAC receives 16 patrol vehicles funded by Japan to strengthen border security across eight Partner States
The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat handed over 16 patrol vehicles funded by the Government of Japan at a ceremony at the EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, on 23 October. Each of the eight Partner States receives two vehicles for use at key border points, to strengthen patrols, respond to security threats and support the safer movement of people and goods.
The ceremony was attended by EAC Secretary General Ambassador Stephen Patrick Mbundi, Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Japan in Tanzania Jin Hashimoto, and the Director of the UNOPS East and Southern Africa Multi Country Office, Massimo Diana. The vehicles were procured by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) under the EAC and UNOPS project on creating a secure trading and customs environment through enhanced border security. In a statement on 26 October, UNOPS said the vehicles have been delivered to all eight Partner States.
The EAC says the support responds to transport and mobility gaps identified in technical assessments by the Secretariat at One Stop Border Posts. The Secretary General urged Partner States to deploy the vehicles only at designated border areas. Japan's representative noted that the project covers all eight Partner States rather than a single country.
Burundi received its two vehicles earlier, at a ceremony in Bujumbura on 12 August, as one of the first recipients.
Border delays, insecurity and illicit activity raise transport costs and can disrupt regional supply chains, so border mobility matters to traders and transporters as well as to security agencies. The value of the investment will depend on how the vehicles are distributed and maintained, the capacity of frontline personnel, and coordination between agencies on either side of each border.
The EAC comprises Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
Sources: East African Community press release, 23 October 2026; UNOPS press release, 26 October 2026; EAC press release on the Burundi handover, 17 August 2026 (background)
DevNews Desk| East Africa. Urge- DevWire
23 October 2026 · Arusha, Tanzania
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