The AU heads of state and government meeting opens Sunday, and on Monday President Kibaki will take part in the grand debate on the African Union Government, the single item in the summit's agenda, according to a statement sent to PANA here Sunday by the presidential press service in Nairobi.

"Kiswahili is a language that is now widely spoken in Africa and adopting a common African language provides a strong force of uniting our people, because integration means bringing countries together but above all we are talking about a Union of African people," said President Kibaki.

At the meeting, Kibaki is expected to share his experiences as the immediate former Chairman of the East Africa Community (EAC). The Community has had formidable growth through the establishment of a Customs Union and expanded membership with the entry of Rwanda and Burundi. The concept of a political federation in the EAC is currently also being debated by citizens of the member states.

He is also expected to outline other regional experiences through such economic blocs like the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA), which he currently chairs. "Successful regional economic communities are the building blocks of a United Africa," the statement quoted Kibaki as saying on the eve of the AU meeting.