East African Community · EAC
The regional bloc — Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, DRC, Somalia — that runs a common market, a customs union, and (eventually) a monetary union.
Mandate
Established by the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community (1999, in force 2000), reviving an earlier integration project. Eight Partner States as of 2025. Provides for a Customs Union (since 2005), a Common Market (since 2010), and an aspirational Monetary Union (target dates have slipped repeatedly).
How it works
Run by the Summit (Heads of State), the Council of Ministers, the East African Court of Justice, the East African Legislative Assembly, and the Secretariat (in Arusha). The Common External Tariff (CET) sets unified import duties on goods entering the bloc from the rest of the world. Internal trade between Partner States is duty-free for goods of EAC origin.
Why it matters
EAC accounts for the largest share of Kenya's manufactured-goods exports. Kenyan beer, dairy, biscuits, batteries, tea, and edible oils land in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, DRC, and South Sudan because of the customs union. EAC integration is also the logical framework within which the Kenya-Uganda Standard Gauge Railway, the Northern Corridor, and Mombasa-port logistics are organised.
What to watch
Annual CET review (which goods qualify for stay-of-application; sensitive-goods list). Trade frictions between member states (Kenya-Tanzania trade wars are recurring). The State of EAC Economic Integration reports.
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