EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY
EAST AFRICAN LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
THIRD MEETING-THIRD SESSION-SECOND ASSEMBLY
(BY RT. HON. ABDIRAHIN H. ABDI – SPEAKER EALA)
I welcome you all to this press briefing and mainly to notify you that the Third Meeting of the Third Session of the Second East African Legislative Assembly will take place in the Chambers of the Parliament of Uganda from 8th - 18th February 2010. On behalf of EALA, I would like to extend my profound gratitude to H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda for having accepted to address the August House on Tuesday 9 February 2010 at 2.30 p.m and to the Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda, the Rt. Hon Edward K. Ssekandi for having accepted to host the 3rd Meeting of the 3rd Session of EALA right here at the Parliament of Uganda. Over the next two weeks, we shall have both Committee meetings and the plenary sessions in the Parliamentary Chamber of the Parliament of Uganda.
As you may be aware, the EALA is the Legislative arm of the East African Community that came into being on 29th November 2001 with three Partner States namely, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. The Membership has since then expanded in July 2007 with the admission of two sister republics of Burundi and Rwanda. The MPs from the two Partner States took oath as MPs in May, 2008 and have since then continued to make their valuable contribution to the EAC integration agenda. The EALA comprises of a total of 52 Members, 45 elected Members (9 from each Partner State) and 7 Ex-Officio Members comprising five Ministers responsible for EAC affairs, the Secretary General of the Community and the Counsel to the Community. However, in the absence of the full Minister, Deputy Ministers in charge of EAC Affairs are entitled to participate as Ex-Officio MPs in the Assembly. The legislative lifespan of the Assembly is 5 years and the 2nd Assembly commenced on 5th June, 2007.
I would like to point out that while the Official Seat of the Assembly is in Arusha - Tanzania, Meetings of the Assembly may be held in any of the Partner States as per the Provisions of Article 55 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community. Indeed, previous meetings have been held in Kampala (July 2007); Zanzibar, December 2007); Nairobi (May 2008); Kigali (September, 2008); Kampala (December, 2008); Nairobi (March, 2009); Bujumbura (May, 2009); and Dar es Salaam (August, 2010). This will be the 3rd time that the 2nd Assembly shall be meeting in Ordinary Session in this serene and beautiful city of Kampala. As is previous occasions, this will give its Members an opportunity to interact not only with the citizens of Uganda, the Civil Society and the Private Sector but also to share experiences with the political leadership of this country.
Notable business to be considered during the two weeks that the Assembly will conduct its Plenary and Committee Sessions will include:
- Address by H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni;
- Debate and passage of the EAC Tourism Bill 2008;
- Debate and passage of the EAC Election Bill, 2008;
- Debate and passage of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission Bill, 2007
- Questions to the Council of Ministers;
- Motions and Resolutions; and
- To consider various Committee Reports.
The Assembly shall also consider requests to introduce new Bills with wide ranging effect on the operation of the Community.
May I take this opportunity to inform you that the 3rd Meeting of the 3rd Session of the Second Assembly is taking place at a time when several activities geared at widening and deepening the integration process have taken place or are scheduled to take place within the Community. Among the notable ones are:
- the successful hosting by EALA of the 5th Inter-Parliamentary Relations Seminar popularly known as the Nanyuki Series with the theme “The Common Market Protocol: Prospects, Challenges and Opportunities” held on January 28-30, 2010 in Bujumbura, Burundi;
- the signing of the Protocol for the Establishment of the East African Community Common Market in November last year and the ongoing process by the Partner States to ratify it by May 2010. It is expected to come into force on 1st July 2010;
- the ongoing preparation for the EAC’s first ever Summit on Food Security and Climate Change to take place in Arusha, Tanzania on the 25-26 March 2010;
- the regional conference on Persons with Disabilities in the EAC region in Kampala from 19-20 February 2010;
- the ongoing discussions on the establishment of the East African Monetary Union, which is the 3rd pillar of the integration process; etc are all indicative of the right direction being pursued by the EAC integration process; and
- the ongoing amendments to the Treaty.
As we legislate for the region, we pride in consolidating the gains we have collectively achieved as a region; and it is important to note that the laws we pass are binding on the EAC Partner States. To say the least, all laws enacted by EALA have the full force of law and take precedence over similar laws in the Partner States on matters related to the Community. In addition to passing legislation, the Assembly has adopted several resolutions and reports relating to the developments in the Community including in the Partner States.
8th FEBRUARY 2010
