The East African Community (EAC) has launched a new regional customs bond, known as the EACBond, designed to simplify the movement of goods across borders by replacing the need for multiple national bonds with one unified guarantee.

Unveiled on Monday, in Kampala, Uganda, the system is expected to drastically reduce the time, money, and paperwork that traders currently deal with when transporting cargo between EAC Partner States. The event brought together customs officers, government agencies, banks, logistics companies, and insurers from across the region.

Instead of paying separate bond charges at each border, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and eventually beyond, traders will now be able to move goods across multiple countries under a single bond.

The change aims to remove a major bottleneck in cross-border commerce.

During the official launch, an EAC official explained the motivation behind the reform, stating, “By allowing traders to secure their entire cargo journey with a single bond, the EACBond will significantly reduce trade costs, ease border delays and free up business capital.”

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The system is being piloted in Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda, and will gradually expand to include all member states.

Customs compliance will be overseen through automated platforms connected to cargo tracking systems, allowing authorities to monitor the full movement of goods and identify any potential risks.

According to the EAC, the EACBond has five clear benefits:

 1. Reduces costs by eliminating multiple border bond charges, making goods cheaper for consumers.

 2. Frees up traders’ money that was tied up in deposits, allowing businesses to reinvest in expansion and jobs.

 3. Cuts border crossing delays by simplifying customs clearance and procedures.

 4. Improves trade transparency through real-time tracking, reducing fraud and cargo diversion.

 5. Strengthens government revenue collection by ensuring compliance and automating risk checks.

Previously, businesses were required to secure a new customs bond every time cargo crossed into another EAC country.

This meant extra costs, longer delays, and significant cash locked up in deposits, particularly painful for smaller traders operating on tight margins.

“With the EACBond, a trader only needs one bond that covers the entire journey across the region,” the EAC noted in a separate statement issued during the event.

The EACBond is also expected to ease the burden on customs offices, which currently handle fragmented bond documentation at every point of entry.

Through automation and shared systems, the new bond will enhance transparency, curb fraud, and support more predictable cargo clearance procedures.

The launch marks a step toward a more integrated regional economy, one where goods can flow more freely, traders face fewer roadblocks, and consumers ultimately benefit from lower prices and more consistent supply chains.

For a region long weighed down by administrative hurdles at its borders, the EACBond is a signal of what a better-connected East Africa could look like.