[15] At 5,449,717 km2 (2,104,147 sq mi)[note 1], the East African Federation (EAF) would be the largest country in Africa and seventh-largest in the world, replacing India.

[4] Its population would be greater than that of Russia, Japan, Pakistan, Brazil, Mexico, and Indonesia, slightly surpass that of the United States, and be behind only India and China.

[1] The proposed capital is Arusha, a city in Tanzania close to the Kenyan border, which is also the current headquarters of the East African Community.

[16] However, due to Covid-19 and the admission of new member states such as the DRC and Somalia, the date for the implementation of the monetary union has been pushed back to 2031.

[5] As of 4 December 2024, William Ruto, the President of Kenya, serves as the East African Communities lead Summit Chairperson.

[21] In the 1920s, Colonial Secretary Leo Amery sought to create a white-ruled East African Dominion composed of Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika.

[23] In the early 1960s, around the time Kenya, Tanganyika, Uganda and Zanzibar were gaining independence from the United Kingdom, the political leaders of the four nations had become interested in forming a federation.

The trio discussed the possibility of merging their three nations (plus Zanzibar) into a single East African Federation, declaring that this would be accomplished by the end of the year.

[25] He publicly stated that talk of a federation had always been a ruse to hasten the pace of Kenyan independence from Britain, but Nyerere denied the truth of this statement.

By late 1964, the prospects for a wider East African federation had died, although Tanganyika and Zanzibar did form a union in April 1964, eventually becoming Tanzania.

[12] The committee, led by retired Ugandan Chief Justice Benjamin Odoki and deputized by former Kenyan Attorney General Amos Wako,[33] plans on holding consultations in every member state to lead with local stakeholders of the county governments, private sector, civil society, political leaders, clergy, and academia.

This was launched with a five-day consultation meeting in Burundi from 14 to 18 January 2020, where it announced that a confederation constitution would be drafted by the end of 2021, with establishment by 2023.

[36] Since its accession, the DRC has failed to remit any money, owing US$14.7 million, and has yet to align its legal instruments with the EAC as per the treaty.

[37][38] The DRC recalled its ambassador to Kenya in December 2023 due to Kenyan President William Ruto denial of Rwandan involvement in the M23 offensive.

[15] Salva Kiir disclosed on 7 June 2024 that consultations would be held in South Sudan in July 2024 and urged expediting the founding of the confederation.

[42] Speaking at the opening of the One Stop Border post in Moyale in 2020, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed affirmed his commitment to regional integration saying that the east African people are one people and economic integration is a key goal for the region to achieve so as to unlock its potential.

[43][44] In April 2023, Secretary General Peter Mathuki suggested the EAC should consider admitting Ethiopia following Somalia's accession.

[46] This was later contradicted by Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nebiu Tedla said that Ethiopia had made no request to join the EAC and that "the information is baseless.

Once the confederation is successful and stable, the ultimate goal would be to create the East African Federation, which would function as a fully unified political entity with a shared government, currency, and legal systems.

[11] Key proponents of this confederation are primarily Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, with the additional interest of Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan.

A special summit held in Nairobi on 27–29 August 2004 examined ways and means of accelerating the integration process through a fast-track mechanism.

[15] At 5,449,717 km2 (2,104,147 sq mi)—including both the DRC and Somaliland—the EAF would be the largest country in Africa and seventh-largest in the world, replacing India.

The mining sector of the EAC contributes around 2.3% of national GDP, with gold being the second highest exported product following petroleum in the fourth quarter of 2023.

[56] Dar es Salaam Kampala The EAC contains 15 cities with populations of over one million (half of which are in Democratic Republic of the Congo alone), the largest being Kinshasa.

Integration and standardization in these facets of the economy under a common market makes the area more economically appealing to a multinational corporation looking to operate in the region.

[8] Rather than navigating each member states' tax and fiscal policies, they would be dealing with one unified set of rules, leading to lower operating costs in the region.

[60] Compared to the global percentage of the population that falls under the age of 25, which sits at 42% currently, this reflects the youth and opportunity of this region.

Providing opportunities through the economically advantageous East African Community is paramount for the region and has been expressed as a driving force for the union.

[61] Surveying in Kenya in 2021 revealed that only 34% of Kenyans had heard some or a great deal on the proposed East African Federation, a 9 point rise from 2008.

[69][70] Merging nations with such corruption and anti-democratic establishments could pose a humanitarian crisis for the populations who could suffer from decreased freedoms and make cooperation amongst the different governing powers more difficult.