Brig Gen Rwivanga, who has served as the spokesperson of the Rwanda Defence Force since December 2020, was appointed to the new role at the end of last year. His office will be based in Karen, Nairobi, Kenya, where the EASF Secretariat is located.
The handover ceremony took place at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs Headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala, and was presided over by Uganda’s Defence Minister Jacob Marksons Oboth, who chairs the EASF Council of Ministers.
Oboth urged the new Director to build on existing gains and strengthen regional cooperation amid declining external support, calling for greater self-reliance among member states.
“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 remarked.
In his remarks, Brig Gen Rwivanga pledged to lead with transparency, professionalism, and accountability, describing his appointment as both an honour and a solemn responsibility to advance collective peace and security in the region.
He noted that Africa’s security landscape continues to evolve rapidly, with emerging threats including terrorism, violent extremism, cybercrime, unconstitutional changes of government, as well as climate-induced disasters and humanitarian crises.
Rwivanga called for sustained political, operational, and financial support from member states, stressing that predictable funding remains essential to strengthening EASF’s readiness and overall effectiveness.
He further underscored the importance of maintaining strong humanitarian and disaster response capabilities, saying the force must remain ready to support member states in times of floods, droughts, disease outbreaks, and population displacement.
“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.
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.
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