COVID-19 Global Pandemic and the East African Community Integration Process: An Analytical Context of Kenya-Tanzania Relations

Abstract

The impact of a global pandemic on regional integration cannot be underestimated.  Cooperation and conflicts are witnessed within regional blocks as individual states adopt strategic measures in response to the global pandemic. Such was the case in 2020-2021 with the advent of COVID-19. The East Africa Community (EAC) is not an exception to this reality. Focusing on Kenya-Tanzania relations, this study explores the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on the EAC’s integration process. The study argues that the COVID-19 pandemic had significant implications on the foreign policy behaviour of partner states on the integration process within the EAC. To advance this argument, the study explores the Kenya-Tanzania relations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The neo-regionalism theory is adopted which underscores openness and cooperation within the global economy, and emphasizes the importance of non-state actors, in driving the integration process. The study finds that the conceptualisation of the COVID-19 pandemic by the respective Heads of State of Kenya and Tanzania resulted in differing strategic responses leading to strained relations between the two states, a situation that impacted the EAC integration process.