WHY EAST AFRICA FAILED TO FEDERATE

Attitude of the British government towards the formation of the federation. Unlike in the formation of the CAF where both the labour and conservative government initiated and facilitated it's formation in East Africa British un desired to develop the colonies as individual countries.

The divergent thinking of the East African leaders towards the creation of the federation. Julius Nyerere of Tanzania in 1960 declared "we must confront the colonial office with a demand not for freedom of Tanganyika and then for Kenya and then Uganda and Zambia but with a demand for the freedom of East Africa as one political unit". Practically he offered to postpone Tanganyika's independence for several months so that the various territories could achieve independence and unite together. His view was supported by Gichuru and Tom Mboya of Kenya but opposed by Sir Edward Mutesa of Buganda who could not accept uniting Buganda with the rest of Uganda. Milton Obote commented " it is futile to think outside Uganda before solving internal problems. In the long run the idea is attractive". Therefore the opposition from Uganda gave London the chance to ignore the proposal of the federation.

Tanganyika union with revolutionary Zanzibar in 1964 frustrated the idea of forming the federation this because it partly exposed the problems of a closer union. For on the question of which of the divide Germany i.e. East or West Germany would open up an embassy in Tanzania therefore threatening Kenya and Uganda which were moving under the umbrella of capitalism.

Tanzania socialist tendencies which hindered her performance in the common market. Therefore she was forced to leave the common market and to adopt a separate currency thereby diluting the common market which was a vehicle to the formation of the federation.

The different party structures m the three countries between 1960-64. Tanzania following a single party system consenting on the federation was simple. But to Uganda and Kenya were multi-party pluralism was practiced the situation was quite difficult if the ruling party supported it's formation and the opposition due to micro-nationalism would suppress the idea causing a dilemma.

Question of leadership of the federation due to the influence of personal ambitions. Leader were more comfortable to be heads in their respective countries other then sharing power. W.P. Kirkman wrote " any arrangement which put Mr. Kenyatta at the top (because of his age and prestige) and Mr. Nyerere the second (because he inspired it's formation) would leave Mr. Obote of Uganda in the cold". Therefore the question of leadership partly failed East Africa to federate.

Different opinions on the question of citizenship and foreign affairs by the three East African countries. Kenya and Tanzania held that a "true federation and a real federation must exercise control over foreign policy and foreign relations". They added that "if you have separate representatives for, e.g. the United Nations, you may find states voting against each other on International issues- However Uganda disagreed claiming that the OAU charter signed in Addis Ababa held the clause on maintenance of territorial integrity and sovereignty of African states would prevent any partial federation before the eventual formation of a continental of Africa.

The Uganda delegate also found arguments in Uganda's own federal constitutions which it still retained in 1964 when the discussions on a federation were held. Uganda would have to ask her federated states to go into the proposed East African federation as "independent units'',