East African Community citizens in the Lake region are been challenged to take advantage of the opportunities that integration offers. The Speaker of EALA, Rt. Hon Margaret Nantongo Zziwa has remarked that the water basin area is a major waterway for the region and reiterated the need to a put in place a relevant legislative framework. Rt. Hon Zziwa was speaking when she led Members of EALA in paying a courtesy call at the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) in Kisumu recently.
“We shall call on the EAC Council of Ministers to ensure that the LVBC Act which was stalled a few years back is brought back to the floor of the House for debate”, the Speaker stated.
The Deputy Executive Secretary of LVBC, Telly Eugene Muramira lauded EALA for the continued support and said his organization was committed to sustenance programmes that add value to the environment. He noted that LVBC would continue to put effort in the various projects which include the Mount Elgon Regional Eco- system Conservation Programme (MERECP), Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project Phase II (LVEMP11) and maritime activities for the success of the region.
The Project Development Officer of the LVBC, Ali Matano said LVBC was committed to preserving and better managing the wetlands. He maintained that the use of the lake area as a trading conduit was hampering preservation efforts.
In attendance were EALA Members, executives of the LVBC and government officials led by the County Commissioner, Lorna Odero.
The activities also included a visit and tree planting at the Kajulu forest in East Kajulu where over 100 trees were planted. At the Kibos Sugar factory, EALA Members assessed the interventions and the resource efficiency and clean production interventions.
The former is part of the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project Phase II (LVEMP II) co-ordinated by the LVBC.
The objectives of the project include enhancing collaborative management of the trans-boundary natural resources of LVBC for the shared benefits of the EAC Partner States.
It further hopes to reduce environmental stress in targeted pollution hotspots and selected degraded sub-catchments to improve the livelihoods of communities which depend on the natural resources of the lake basin area.
Over the years, the Kajulu hills according to LVBC, have undergone gradual deforestation resulting in low level shrub vegetation cover with continuous soil erosion leaving rock outcrops dotted over the hill.
Beatrice Mbula, of LVEMP II informed Members that the reforestation project had shown major positive impacts and that it was more appreciated by the Community. “We hope the project can be extended to the entire area”, Ms Mbula remarked.
The legislators later paid a courtesy call to the Governor of Kisumu County, H.E. Jack Ranguma.
ABOUT LVBC
LVBC is a specialized institution of the East African Community (EAC) that is responsible for coordinating the sustainable development agenda of the Lake Victoria Basin.
The East African Community has designated Lake Victoria and its Basin as an "area of common economic interest" and a "regional economic growth zone" to be developed jointly by the Partner States.
CORRECTION
In a press release dated, October 29, 2013, we published a story titled EALA Adopts Audited Accounts report. The article quoted EALA Legislator Hon Susan Nakawuki as saying that ‘it was improper for the EAC institutions to borrow from the gratuity fund for their own use and to repay back when Partner State fulfilled their obligations. The article cited Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) as one of the institutions borrowing from the said fund.
We have since established that Hon Nakawuki did not refer to the Lake Victoria Basin Commission in her
submission to the House. We take this opportunity to apologise to the Management and staff of the
LVBC and to Hon Susan Nakawuki for the error.
-Ends-
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For more information, contact:
Bobi Odiko,
Senior Public Relations Officer,
East African Legislative Assembly,
Tel: Cell: +255-787-870945, +254-733-718036.
Email: Bodiko@eachq.org
