Kenyan President William Ruto on Tuesday, January 17 issued a rallying call to regional leaders, citing that it will require joint forces to end the current trade and investment bottlenecks in the region.

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President Ruto was speaking to the East Africa Community (EAC) council of ministers, during a meeting he hosted in Nairobi, Kenya.

Rwanda’s Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also part of the group led by its Chairman Ambassador Ezechiel Nibigira.

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Also in attendance was Kenya’s Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and the EAC and Regional Development Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano.

"We have a common destiny as East Africa. We must, therefore, work together towards eliminating impediments to trade and investment within the region for the prosperity of the people,” President Ruto said in a tweet.

Further details of the meeting had not been shared at the time of publication but reliable information indicates that most of the deliberations were centered around improving intra-EAC trade.