East African Trends: Pulling apart 

The East African Community (EAC) has spent twenty years of integration and admitted new members in the process.  EAC Partner States signed the Protocol in November 2009, and it came into force on 1 July 2010. The common market is the first of its kind in Africa. The internal EAC market has about 146 million consumers.  This second offering, after the initial community collapsed in 1977 has worked to learn from the mistakes of the past community. However, as things change, the more they have remained the same.   There have been tensions between countries at different periods of time, some threatening the very core that set forth the community. Kenya has been at constant feud with Tanzania, Uganda has been also at loggerheads with Rwanda while Burundi has accused Rwanda of meddling in its affairs.   Overall trade disputes are now increasing in East Africa.  Uganda’s trade with Rwanda is slowly resuming after a year-long frosty relations; Tanzania has locked out Ugandan timber, sugar and maize; while Kenya, which has been open to imports of maize and beans from Uganda has been reluctant to open its market to manufactured products from Uganda. It is reported use of ‘non-tariff barriers have intensified as member countries become competitors amid regional protocols that eliminate