Selected Achievements of 1st EALA
From its inauguration on 30 November 2001 until it was dissolved in November 2006, the First EALA successfully established itself into a strong and effective regional legislature and registered a number of achievements.

From its inauguration on 30 November 2001 until it was dissolved in November 2006, the First EALA successfully established itself into a strong and effective regional legislature and registered a number of achievements. The presentation of these achievements is outlined here below around the mandate and functions of the Assembly through legislation, oversight, and through membership to and participation in activities of other bodies.
 

2.1     Legislative Function

As the legislative organ of the East African Community the core mandate of the Assembly is to legislate on all matters relating to the operationalisation of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community.

(a)     Laws Enacted

 In pursuance of this function, the First EALA enacted the following laws during its term in office:

i.            The Community Emblems Act (No.1) 2004.

ii.           The East African Legislative Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Act (No.2), 2004.

iii.          The East African Community (Appropriation) Act (No.3) 2004

iv.          The East African Community (Appropriation) Act (No.3) 2004

v.           The East African Community Supplementary Appropriation Act, 2005

vi.          The Acts of the East African Community Act (No.5), 2004.

vii.          The Laws of the Community (Interpretation) Act (No.6) 2004.

viii.         The East African Community Customs Management Act (No.1), 2005.

ix.          The East African Community Competition Act, 2006.

x.           The East African Community Standardization, Quality Assurance, Metrology, and Testing Bill, 2006

xi.          The East African Community (Appropriation) Bill, 2006

The Assembly also debated and approved the EAC Budgets for the Financial years 2002/2003; 2003/2004; 2004/2005; 2005/2006; and 2006/2007.

(b)     Private Members’ Bills

 The First EALA published and introduced in the House the following Private Members’ Bills:

i.             The East African Trade Negotiations Bill, 2003

ii.             The Inter-University Council for East Africa Bill, 2004

iii.            The East African Community Immunities and Privileges Bill

iv.             The East African Community Budget Bill, 2004

 
2.2     Oversight Function

 The First EALA effectively exercised its oversight role through the following activities:

(a)     Questions for Oral Answers

 Rule 17 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly provides for EALA priority questions to the Council of Ministers relating to matters of the Community. The First EALA asked a total of thirty priority questions on the implementation of the Treaty, which were duly answered by the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers.

(b)     Resolutions

 The First EALA adopted the following resolutions for implementation by the Council of Ministers:-

  •     A Resolution seeking to establish practical working relations between the Secretariat, the Assembly and the Court, adopted in February 2003 in pursuance of Article 14 (3) and Article 66 of the Treaty
  •    A Resolution seeking the appointment of an East African Peace Committee for Uganda with the mandate to bring to an end the violence in Northern Uganda in May 2003, in pursuance of Articles 123 and 124 of the Treaty
  •     A Resolution seeking to enforce the directive of the Summit to the effect that in matters pertaining to participation in WTO and ACP/EU, the EAC Partner States should negotiate as a Bloc, adopted in May 2003 in line with Article 74 of the Treaty
  •     A Resolution to urge organs of the EAC to work towards the realization of the objectives and goals of co-operation, adopted in January 2002

 (c)     Standing Committee Activities

Rule 77 of the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly provides for the appointment of relevant committees necessary for the efficient discharge of the Assembly’s functions, namely:-

i.                    to examine, discuss and make recommendations on all Bills laid before the Assembly;

ii.                   to initiate any Bill within their respective mandate;

iii.                  to assess and evaluate activities of the Community

iv.                  to carry out relevant research in their respective mandate

v.                   to examine policy maters affecting their subject areas

vi.                  to examine the Community’s recurrent and capital budget estimates; and,

vii.                 to report to the Assembly on their functions

In order to fulfill this mandate, which constitutes the basis for the Committees to carry out specified functions, the committees effectively undertook to review, scrutinize, investigate, and inquire into the activities of the organs and institutions of the EAC. The committee reports tabled and discussed in the House during the term of the First Assembly included the following:

 i.                   Accounts Committee

 Report on the EAC Audited Financial Statements for the fiscal years 20001/2; 2002/3; 2003/4; 2004/5

 Report on Supplementary Estimates (Re-Allocations) for the Fiscal Year 2001/2

 Reports on the Budgets of the East African Community for the Financial Years 2003/2004; 2004/2005; 2005/2006; 2006/2008

 ii.                 Legal, Rules and Privileges Committee

  • Report on the Study and Review of the EALA Dress Code
  • Report on the proposed amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly
  • Report on the Review of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community
  • Introduction of the EAC Community Emblems Bill, 2003; the EALA (Powers and Privileges) Bill, 2003 

 iii.              Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources Committee

  • Report on the Lake Victoria Development Programme and the status of safety of navigation on the lake
  • Report on the EAC tourism marketing strategy for the region
  • Report on the resource based conflicts in the EAC region
  • Report of the seminar on the water levels of Lake Victoria

iv.               Regional Affairs and Conflict Resolution

  • Report on the review of the processes and stages of integration
  • Report on the modalities to gauge the views of the citizens of East Africa through a referendum for a political federation
  • Report on the steps so far taken in the harmonization of disaster management policies
  • Report on the status of co-operation in Defense matters in the EAC region.
  • Report on the natural resources based conflicts in East Africa

  • Report on the functional relations between EALA and the National Assemblies, pursuant to the Provisions of Article 49(2)(a) of the Treaty

v.                 General Purpose Committee

  • Reports on the EAC Annual Reports for the periods 2000/1; 2001/2; and 2002/3;
  • Reports on the EAC Annual Audit Reports for the financial years ended 30th June 2002; 2003; 2004; 2005
  • Reports on the EAC Budgets for the Financial Years 2004/5; 2005/2006; 2006/2007
  • Report on the EAC/UNIFEM Workshop on Gender Mainstreaming

 vi.               Communication, Trade and Investment Committee

  • Report on the status of infrastructure development in East Africa.
  • Report on the East African Parliamentary liaison Committee on trade visit to the European Union
  • Report of the public hearing workshops on the draft protocols on the East African Customs Union and standardisation, quality assurance, metrology and testing
  • Report on the East African Community Trade Negotiations Bill, 2003
  • Report on the Tour of the Customs border posts and port of East Africa
  • Report on the Standardisation, Quality Assurance, Metrology and Testing Bill, 2005
  • Report of the public hearing workshops on the East African Community Common Market

vii.            House Business Committee

  • Prepared and organised the legislative business and programmes of the Assembly
  • Nominated Members of the standing committees and one select Committee of the Assembly
  • Recommended for appointment to the Council of Ministers, Officers of the Assembly, namely: the Clerk; the Principal Clerk Assistant; the Sergeant-at-Arms; the Hansard Editor; and the Research Officer

  (d)          Select Committee

In line with the provisions of Rule 80 of the Assembly Rules of Procedure, the First EALA appointed only one Select Committee, and its purpose was to investigate the resignation of the Clerk of the Assembly in February 2003. The Committee made a report of its findings to the Assembly in March, and after extensive debate, the report was adopted in July 2003.

 
 

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