Nature of Security Cooperation and Regional Integration within the Jurisdiction of the East African Community

Abstract

Regional integration has allowed member states of regional blocs to cooperate in security matters within their jurisdictions to protect their territories, sovereignty, and interests from imminent threats. The Partner States of the East African Community (EAC) have made tacit attempts at security cooperation in a bid to mitigate the security threats but this has not always borne fruit. The study therefore sought to investigate the nature of security cooperation and regional integration within the EAC. It was guided by the Regional Security Complex Theory and employed a mixed method approach, to collect data from 141 accessible respondents. The respondents comprised policy makers and technocrats within the EAC partner states, the EAC Secretariat, Ministries responsible for both Foreign and EAC Affairs in the capital cities of all Partner States, High Commissions and Embassies of partner states resident in Kenya, and EACs Development Partners and Collaborating Organizations with regional offices in Nairobi. Data collection was done via structured interviews, structured questionnaires and review of publications and reports. The data was analysed using process tracing. It was established that the EAC region has overlapping security threats that have adverse economic, political and social effects on the region. These security threats require the collective and cooperative action of the Partner States under the coordination of the EAC Secretariat. The onus, therefore, is on the Partner States to harmonize their national laws and adhere to the guiding legal and institutional provisions of the treaty establishing the EAC.

Keywords: Security Cooperation, Regional Integration, East African Community