The phrase, ‘Coalition of the Willing’, emerged in East Africa in 2013, when three East African Community (EAC) members (Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda) forged a Tripartite Initiative to fast-track the EAC regional integration, sidelining Tanzania and Burundi, for their apparent ‘aloofness’ to integration. This coalition created tensions among the five countries, exacerbating an already simmering conflict between Tanzania and Rwanda involving the expulsion of ‘illegal’ Rwandan migrants from Tanzania. Informed by contemporary political communication and media framing, this article examines how these events were framed in five leading newspapers in East Africa: the Daily Nation (Kenya), the Daily Monitor (Uganda), The Citizen (Tanzania), The New Times (Rwanda) and The East African (EAC region). Through a thematic frame analysis, we interrogate the prevalence and implications of five prominent themes found in most political conflicts (attributions of responsibility, conflict, human interest, economic consequences and morality) on the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ media debate. The analysis reveals conflicting frames with a potential to inflame antagonistic media debates to the integration efforts – by the resultant blame-game and opening up of historical wounds and personal differences, among the key players.