[15] The three member states lost over sixty years of co-operation and the benefits of economies of scale, although some Kenyan government officials celebrated the collapse with champagne.

[17] A process of re-integration was embarked on involving tripartite programs of co-operation in political, economic, social and cultural fields, research and technology, defence, security, and legal and judicial affairs.

[27] The application was deferred by the EAC in December 2012,[28] however incidents with Ugandan boda-boda operators in South Sudan have created political tension and may delay the process.

[29] In December 2012, Tanzania agreed to South Sudan's bid to join the EAC, clearing the way for the world's newest state to become the regional bloc's sixth member.

At the 14th Ordinary Summit held in Nairobi in 2012, EAC heads of state approved the verification report that was presented by the Council of Ministers, then directed it to start the negotiation process with South Sudan.

[31] A team was formed to assess South Sudan's bid; however, in April 2014, the nation requested a delay in the admissions process, presumably due to ongoing internal conflict.

[48] In 2023, East African Community (EAC) Secretary-General Peter Mathuki said Somalia had made a critical step towards becoming the eighth member of the bloc, with negotiations on admission set to last from 22 August to 5 September.

[56][57] EAC partner states Burundi, DR Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania have been involved in peace keeping missions in the Central African Republic.

[57][61] With Somalia set to join the group in October 2023, Secretary General Peter Mathuki stated, “The vision of our leaders is to have a market of 800 million people.

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

[70] Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in May 2022, hinted at the possibility of deploying an East African regional force to Mozambique to counter insurgency in the Northern Provinces.

Each Judge may serve for no more than seven years and holds office until that period expires, death, reaching seventy years-of-age, or removal for misconduct by the Summit after deliberation from a tribunal, bankruptcy, or conviction.

[90] Reasons for these arrears are primarily due to two factors: The equal-share model was adopted when the EAC comprised only Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, and may no longer be sustainable.

[91] EALA Chairperson of the Budget Committee Ken Mukulia suggests amendments to the EAC legal instruments to distribute power according to size of contribution should accompany the new financing model.

[91] Additionally, auctioning stranded goods in the ports of Dar es Salaam and Mombasa slated for the three major defaulters has been suggested as a method of paying off their debt.

[88] Chairperson of the EALA Budget Committee Ayason Mukulia stated that the failure in remission may stem from hesitancy following the misallocation of US$6 million in funds from the Secretariat by former Secretary General Peter Mathuki.

In early 2022, a growing number of M23 combatants began leaving their camps and move back to the DR Congo;[95] the rebel movement launched more attacks in February 2022, but these were repelled.

[95][96] The rebels also argued that they were attempting to defend Kivu's Tutsi minority from attacks by Hutu militants such as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

[101] However, as the FARDC was increasingly losing ground to the insurgents, the DRC government and a number of rebel groups held peace talks in Nairobi in late April, only for the offensive to resume in May.

[122] The emergency meeting, involving all East African Community member states, was held on 29 January 2025 with Rwanda's Kagame but not DRC's Tshisekedi, who cancelled his participation.

How does this become a Kagame problem?”[125] Former Foreign Minister of the DRC Christophe Lutundula said the DRC strategy was “to join the Eastern bloc, of course for regional integration and economic reasons, but also to better plead the Congo’s security cause, where Rwanda is making its voice heard,” suggesting that EAC accession to the EAC was in large part due to counteracting Rwanda's influence in the bloc.

[128] Al-Shabaab has also created a sect of foreign fighters called the Muhajirin, including primarily Kenyan, Ethiopian and Tanzanian nationals, but also some Congoleses, Burundians, Rwandans and Ugandans.

[129] In addition, Puntland has temporarily withdrawn until the constitutional amendments concentrating power under president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud are approved in a nationwide referendum.

[132] Kenya was also granted a temporary exception to the CET to import grain at a lower tariff to meet local demand and increase food security.

[88] Despite border closings, an immense amount of inter-EAC migration is still occurring; From July to December 2023, around 376,000 citizens emigrated to Rwanda from other EAC member states, including around 76,500 Burundians.

[87] Patterns of regional development are already emerging, including:[87] Due to the DRC's accession into the EAC, Congolese in Kisangani and Goma are now receiving their goods through ports in Mombasa and Dar es Salaam.

[124] The success of this new trade route has caused the DRC and South Sudan to integrate revenue systems to streamline cargo documentation, hastening the rate at which goods are cleared through the Port of Mombassa.

[87] Research suggest the promised investments on the conditions of life of the region's overwhelmingly rural poor will be slight, with the significant exception of agro-industrial firms with out-grower schemes or that otherwise contribute to the co-ordination of smallholder production and trade.

[87] It is informal trade across borders that is most often important to rural livelihoods and a customs union is unlikely to significantly impact the barriers that this faces and taxes are still being fixed separately by countries.

[83]: 13.15 It had been hoped that an East African Single Tourist Visa may have been ready for November 2006, if it was approved by the relevant sectoral authorities under the EAC's integration programme.