STATEMENT BY THE RT. HON. ABDIRAHIN HAITHAR ABDI, SPEAKER, EALA
On behalf of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and on my own behalf, I wish to congratulate Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera following his appointment as the Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC) during the 9th Extra-Ordinary Summit of Heads of State held on April 19, 2011, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Let me take this opportunity at the outset to salute the Summit of the Heads of State for the worthy appointment of Dr. Sezibera and in so doing, exercising their mandate in conformity with Article 67 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community.
Dr. Sezibera has credentials as a diplomat, an Ambassador par excellence and a man with an accomplished service in various capacities in the government of Rwanda. We are confident that such testimonials shall come in handy in assisting Dr. Sezibera chart the integration process forward. He joins the EAC at a time when the EAC has entered a crucial stage of implementation with a number of successes realised, the challenges notwithstanding.
The EAC grew by leaps and bounds under the tenure of the outgoing Secretary General Amb Juma Mwapachu. During the period, the EAC Customs Union which was established in 2005 was strengthened, becoming fully-fledged on January 1, 2010. The tenure of Amb Mwapachu also witnessed the ushering in of the Common Market Protocol, signed in November 2009 and entered in to force on July 1, 2010, and the eventful expansion of the regional bloc with the admission of Rwanda and Burundi into the EAC fraternity. The EAC within the same period also commenced on the negotiations of the Monetary Union.
Dr. Sezibera thus takes the mantle as Secretary General of the EAC at an opportune moment characterised by a positive profile and leverage of the Community, thanks to his predecessor and typified by a menu of programmes and activities – all aimed at enabling the Community realise its objectives.
We as EALA assure Dr. Sezibera of our full support and are confident that under his leadership, he shall drive the EAC with impetus, new energy and vigour.
We also applaud Dr. Enos Bukuku, and Hon. Justice Mr. Isaac Lenaola who were appointed the new Deputy Secretary General (Planning and Infrastructure) and Judge of the East African Court of Justice respectively.
In the same vein, EALA salutes the outgoing Secretary General, Amb Juma Mwapachu whose tenure comes to an end on April 24, 2011 and the immediate past Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Alloys Mutabingwa for their exemplary performance and service to the Community as marked by the significant milestones denoted above. We wish both Amb. Mwapachu and Mr.Mutabingwa all the very best in their future endeavour.
April 21, 2011
