The Association of Professional Societies in East Africa

Our History

The Association of Professional Societies in East Africa is a Joint Forum and an umbrella body of professionals associations established in 1961 comprising of a corporate membership of twenty eight (28) professional associations from diverse professional disciplines including Law, accounting and Finance, Medicine, Architecture, Survey, Planning, Engineering, valuation, geology, food science and technology and veterinary science among many others.

APSEA was established in 1961 as an umbrella body for all professional Associations in the then East Africa protectorate. The main aim was to maintain, advance and advocate for the highest professional standards and ethics in the public interest and to promote the interests of the members both regionally and internationally.

After the break-up of East African Community in 1977, APSEA remained largely a Kenyan institution. However, since 2002, the Council of APSEA has made substantial progress towards ramifying APSEA to a truly East African institution. APSEA has in the last five years organised and hosted four consultative regional workshops in a bid to promote integration of trade in services in the East Africa and revive the country offices. The workshops were geared towards creating awareness of the inherent potential of trade in professional and other services in the social and economic development of the region. APSEA has subsequently since 2007 participated in the negotiation process of the East Africa Common Market Protocol.

While the East African footprint has been less active in other EAC countries since the break of the first East African Community in 1977, In the recent past, APSEA has developed strong partnerships with governmental and non governmental institutions that promote the cause of professionalism. APSEA continues to provide the much needed link between the government and professionals especially in cross cutting issues through the Public-Private Sector Partnership Programme.

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