“It’s not a new idea because we used to have one currency during the colonial days and we used to travel from one country to another. We had no problem with people moving from [country to country]. It is only after independence that this question of immigration [developed]. [But today] we want to have an East African Community that could benefit all the people of East Africa and have a bigger market that could be recognized just like the European Union.”

Various factors are blamed for the break-up of the original union, including the differences between Tanzania, with a socialist economic system, and market-oriented Kenya. Also contributing to the break-up were political differences between rulers, including Idi Amin of Uganda and Julius Nyerere of Tanzania.

Today, says University of Nairobi political scientist Peter Wanyande, it’s clear to regional leaders that there’s more to gain by coming together as a common market:

“Integration, particularly the type we are talking about, is usually supported because member states believe that there are benefits to be derived. These benefits are not uniform. Rwanda and Burundi may benefit because they are landlocked, and therefore feel that if they are in this larger community, it would be easier for their goods to be transported. It’s not very easy to say Kenya will benefit more or Tanzania will benefit more…because there are different elements of benefits to be derived. So each country will join, depending on what benefits they think they will derive from the union.”