Media OutReach Newswire 
Nairobi city
Mudavadi calls for measurable accountability as Kenya and Tanzania seek practical solutions to persistent trade barriers.
Leaders attending the Global Trust Summit in Nairobi have been challenged to translate commitments on accountability, governance and international cooperation into measurable results that citizens and businesses can experience.
Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said public confidence depended on institutions demonstrating integrity, fairness and the ability to deliver on their promises.
Speaking on the second day of the summit, he warned that declining trust threatened the foundations of institutions, economic prosperity and collective efforts to address global challenges.
“When a society loses the trust of its people, it risks losing the very foundation upon which its institutions, prosperity and common future depend,” he said.
Mudavadi called for a practical framework to rebuild trust, comprising a clear call to action, defined commitments, a coalition of actors responsible for implementation and a credible mechanism for tracking delivery.
He argued that accountability should remain central to institutional credibility, cautioning against approaches that encourage citizens to trust political leaders without demanding scrutiny.
Citing an Afrobarometer working paper covering 37 African countries, he said greater trust in presidents and ruling parties was associated with weaker public support for accountability mechanisms, including parliamentary oversight, media scrutiny and citizens’ ability to hold governments accountable.
The summit’s focus on implementation was reflected in remarks by Tanzania’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, James Millya, who outlined the progress and remaining challenges in trade relations between Kenya and Tanzania.
The two countries have identified 68 non-tariff barriers and resolved 54, leaving 14 outstanding. The remaining obstacles continue to expose traders to delays, repeated inspections and unexpected charges despite the countries’ shared customs union and common market.
“The last fourteen are where trust is won or lost,” Millya said.
He cited bilateral agreements signed in May 2026 that include common standards to prevent repeated inspections of certified goods at Namanga and Holili, a 30-day dispute-resolution window and quarterly implementation reports.
Tanzania has also removed its Industrial Development Levy on a range of Kenyan goods.
However, bilateral trade fell from approximately US$950 million in 2024 to US$860 million in 2025, reinforcing concerns about the need to make regional integration more effective for businesses.
Millya said Tanzania would designate a focal point to follow up trade complaints with Kenya within the agreed period. He also proposed regular consultations with traders, truckers, women and young people engaged in cross-border commerce.
The deputy minister said the measures would be judged by whether traders experienced faster clearance, fewer repeated inspections and timely resolution of complaints.
Mudavadi extended the accountability argument to international governance, calling for more representative global institutions and permanent African representation on the United Nations Security Council in line with the African Union’s Common African Position.
He also pointed to declining public confidence in science, citing figures showing that the proportion of people who believed most people in their country benefited from science fell from 42 per cent in 2018 to 37 per cent in 2025.
In his remarks, Korir described trust as an essential foundation for institutional reliability, social cohesion and international cooperation. He called for transparency, inclusive decision-making, accountability for results and consistency between words and actions.
The Global Trust Summit, running from October 21 to 23, has brought together public-sector leaders and other stakeholders to examine how trust can support governance, resilient societies, inclusive economies and international cooperation.
Mudavadi said the gathering should be remembered not simply for the discussions it hosted, but for strengthening the resolve of leaders to build more trustworthy institutions.
The challenge facing participants is to ensure that commitments made in Nairobi translate into practical changes in public service delivery, business confidence, regional trade and international cooperation.
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