The East African Community (EAC) consists of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South-Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. It was directly modelled on the European Union (EU), making an understanding of EU law uniquely relevant for EAC students. Kenya is the most advanced country of the EAC, both economically and academically, and Nairobi hosts the three leading law schools in the region. Kenya is therefore key for selecting the best students, creating local capacity and training professionals who will impact future EAC integration.

LEAC is part of the Leiden Law School’s Europa Institute. It aims to advance the study and practice of the East-African Community through its expertise in EU law and comparative regional integration. Over the past six years, LEAC has built up a network of partners in the EAC. This mobility project builds on a successful existing exchange programme supported by a 2018 ICM grant and forms part of a broader EAC exchange programme. 

Through this project, LEAC aims to build up a pool of well-trained young East-African professionals that can form an important network for future cooperation and activities. The project also contributes to the Europa Institute’s goal of creating a highly international classroom within its master of European Law programme. In addition, this ICM project contributes to the internationalisation strategy of the partner universities.