The national consultations for drafting the constitution of the proposed East African Community (EAC) Political Confederation have concluded in Kenya, with a majority of Kenyans expressing their desire for a direct move towards a political federation.
The 20-day consultations saw President William Ruto urging the team of experts to expedite the process, aiming to have the first draft of the constitution by the end of June 2024. To aid in speeding up the process, President Ruto pledged $1 million.
President Ruto emphasized the aspirations of East Africans to live together and engage in business regardless of national boundaries, calling on the EAC partner states to catch up with these desires and actualize the political confederation as quickly as possible.
Kenya is the third partner state, after Burundi and Uganda, to conduct national consultations regarding the desired political union under the EAC. Tanzania and Rwanda are the next destinations for the committee of experts.
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During the consultations, Kenyans expressed their support for an EAC led by a commission similar to that of the European Union, as opposed to a secretariat. Many also advocated for the EAC to move directly to a political federation.
Former Ugandan chief justice Benjamin Odoki and former attorney general Amos Wako led the regional team of law experts spearheading the consultations.
President Ruto echoed the sentiments of a borderless EAC, similar to the European Union, a sentiment widely shared across the country. He highlighted regional prosperity, strategic economy and security, as well as the shared origins of East Africans, as reasons for integration and unity.
The path towards a political federation has faced obstacles such as slow integration, inadequate funding, competing political interests, and perceived leadership ambitions. The EAC is still working towards achieving a monetary union, with the deadline recently pushed from 2024 to 2031.
In Kenya, stakeholders expressed their desire for a borderless EAC that allows complete free movement, residency, and trade, akin to what the EU offers its citizens.
They also recommended a common EAC identification system, structures to handle cross-border security, a common foreign policy, a common currency, and clear decision-making levels for the federation and national governments.
The EAC has followed a chronological order of growth under four pillars since its re-establishment in 1999: the Customs Union, Common Market, Monetary Union, and Political Federation.
However, attempts to fast-track the political federation have faced challenges. Justice Odoki explained that a political federation requires an organization with a center of authority and independent institutions to strengthen top-level control.
After Kenya, Tanzania is set to host the committee of experts, followed by Rwanda, as the consultations continue to shape the constitution for the proposed EAC Political Confederation.
