The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Members are set for a ten-day extensive tour of the Republic of Kenya beginning tomorrow. The tour which is being held with the support of the Kenya Government through the Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism, shall see the regional legislators’ tour projects and interface with various stakeholders in five counties.
The visit takes the EALA to Mombasa, Kilifi and Nairobi counties in the first leg before winding up with a tour of Nakuru and Machakos counties.
The tour seeks to enable EALA to appreciate the diversity of the people and the development initiatives that Kenya has to offer to the region. At the same time, the legislators shall interact directly with citizens and hear their views, aspirations and fears on the integration process. Legislators are also expected to get first-hand experience on the workings of a devolved government following the promulgation of the Constitution in Kenya in 2010.
According to the Co-ordinator of the trip, EALA MP (Kenya), Hon Peter Mathuki, the visit shall enable the Members to fully apprise and acquaint themselves with developments in Kenya and key integration issues.
‘Article 5 of the Treaty envisages a People-Centred integration. In this regard, we must enhance involvement of the people in deciding on the matters of the Community. It is important for the Assembly to be in tandem with the needs of the people through structured interface and the working tour is one such avenue’, Hon Mathuki stated.
At the Coast, the legislators shall visit the Kenya Ports Authority and then call on the Mombasa County Government and the Kilifi County Government respectively.
While in Nairobi, EALA is to meet with a number of stakeholders including the top leadership of the Lamu Port Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor project, Project, Konza Techno City, Vision 2030 Secretariat as well as the officials of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) and the East African Business Council (EABC).
They shall while in Nairobi also have a date with the University of Nairobi’s School of Health identified as one of the EAC Centres of Excellence and hold interactive sessions with Parliamentary and Senate Committees and civil society groupings.
In Naivasha, Nakuru county, the EALA is expected to tour the Olkaria Geothermal station. The tour is to climax with a courtesy visit to the Machakos County Government and a trip to the Export Processing Zone and the Kenya Meat Commission in Athi-River.
In his address to the 3rd Meeting of the 2nd Session of the 3rd Assembly in November 2013, President Uhuru Kenyatta pledged his Government’s support for the Kenya tour.
“Madam Speaker, my Government not only supports the Assembly’s working tours; we have committed ourselves to facilitate your tour of our country. If East African integration is to be truly people-centred, the Assembly must be able to fully discharge it responsibility of sensitizing the Community’s citizens”, President Kenyatta remarked.
Since, 2004, the Kenya Government has supported EALA Members to visit different parts of the country and to interact with the citizens while noting the progress that Kenya is making in the Integration process. The tours were held in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.
ENDS
For More Information, contact:
Bobi Odiko,
Senior Public Relations Officer;
East African Legislative Assembly;
Tel: +255-27-2508240
Cell: +255 787 870945, +254-733-718036;
Email: bodiko@eachq.org
Web: https://www.eala.org Arusha, Tanzania.
