Prospects for Free Movement in the East African Community

Abstract

This article traces the evolution of regional integration in East Africa, discussing its nature, scope, triumphs, and challenges. It reviews the Protocol on the Establishment of the East African Community Common Market (PEEACCM), which develops aspects of free movement policy that were implicit in earlier editions of the EAC regional integration. The article then addresses the several challenges that exist to free movement in the EAC as it endeavors to usher in the larger Southern and East Africa COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Agreement and even wider continental-level coordination. It concludes that a managed migration policy rather than free movement might be more appropriate.