East African Community (EAC) will resume national consultations on drafting the constitution for the proposed EAC political confederation with a stakeholder engagement exercise in Rwanda, according to a statement issued on Thursday by the bloc’s headquarters in Arusha, northern Tanzania.

The consultations are scheduled to begin in Kigali on June 15 and will continue in Rubavu, Huye and Nyagatare before concluding on June 27, said the statement.

EAC Deputy Secretary General for Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors Andrea Malueth said the exercise will raise awareness and encourage public participation to ensure a people-centric constitution.

The political confederation is a transitional stage toward a full political federation, building on existing pillars of regional integration, including the Customs Union, Common Market and Monetary Union.

The EAC is a regional intergovernmental organisation to promote economic, political and social integration. The eight member states are Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

• A Tell Media / Xinhua report