Hard truths.
The PS in a statement issued on October 2, 2025, said the development follows consultations between the Republic of Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Sankok emphasized that each EAC nation remains sovereign and must be respected until a formal confederation or unified East African government is established.
The legislators found the amphitheatre, whose construction started in June 2019 and was to be completed by December 2020, abandoned and in a state of stagnation.
The new rules, set to take effect on November 1, 2025, aim to regulate cross-border deals and prevent anticompetitive practices within the bloc.
EAC warned that any country taking unilateral steps that affect trade or movement is going against agreed rules.
While Tanzanian authorities maintain the directive aims to shield local entrepreneurs and micro-businesses, critics argue the move undermines regional cooperation and amounts to economic exclusion.
Kenya maintains that its commitment to regional integration remains firm and is anchored in the foundational EAC principles of free movement of goods, people, services, labor, and capital.
Kenya’s National Assembly Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Committee chairperson Bernard Shinali joined the calls for a firm response, saying the ban warrants economic retaliation.
While bureaucratic structures and political summits abound, East Africans continue to question the everyday relevance of regional integration.
