The
East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) resumes business next week in
Arusha, Tanzania. The Plenary which takes place from Monday, May 26th,
2014 to Friday, June 6th, 2014 is the Sixth Meeting of the Second
Session of the Third Assembly.
The
Assembly which shall be presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon (Dr)
Margaret Nantongo Zziwa expects to debate on the following Bills and
reports:
EAC Integration (Education) Bill, 2014 – 2nd and 3rd reading
EAC Appropriation Bill, 2014 and the EAC Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2014
receive and consider reports from various Committees of the Assembly
consider Motions and Questions brought before the House.
EALA
is also expected to receive and deliberate on the EAC Budget Speech for
the Financial Year 2014/2015. The Budget Speech shall be delivered on
May 29th, 2014 by the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers, Hon
Phyllis J. Kandie.
The
EAC Integration (Education) Bill, 2014 is anchored on Article 7 of the
EAC Treaty, providing for people- centeredness and a market driven
economy. The Bill deals with civic education in the region and aims to
equip East African citizens with the necessary skills and information
about the EAC.
Furthermore,
the Bill seeks to establish a unit within the Office of the EAC
Secretary General, mandated to coordinate integration education in the
EAC Partner States. The proposed unit is to develop educational
materials and set standards and quality control measures.
Accordingly,
the respective national institutions currently responsible for
conducting civic education in the Partner States are proposed within the
Bill to be the national focal points. So far, EALA has been around the
Partner States and met with various stakeholders in a bid to collect
views on the proposed Bill which sailed through the first reading during
the First Reading in Kampala, Uganda, in January 2014.
The
Budget Speech is a key activity of the Community. Last Year, EALA
approved a budget amounting to $131,806,032. The budget’s priorities
then were to consolidate the Common Market; completion of negotiations
and movement towards the East African Monetary Union Protocol;
investment promotion and Private Sector development; co-operation in
cross-border infrastructure; enhancing the extractive and processing
industries; implementation of the critical activities of EAC Food
Security and the mainstreaming of policies, programmes and projects
related to gender.
In
January 2014, EALA approved a supplementary budget giving the EAC
go-ahead to expend an additional USD 2,143,960 for the Financial Year
2013/14 to meet its programmes. The supplementary budget was earmarked
for support in activities related to Agriculture, Trade and Customs, the
EAC Financial Management Harmonisation Project and the strengthening of
the East and Southern Africa-India Ocean (ESA-IO) Maritime Security
Project.
The
key reports to be tabled to the House at the two week session emanate
from the Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources on the
2nd Parliamentarians workshop on Climate Change and that of the
Committee on Communication, Trade and Investments on the Single Customs
Territory.
The
House shall also deliberate on the Report of the Committee on Accounts
on Internal Audit Systems and the Report of the Committee on General
Purpose on the EAC Annual Report for the period 2011/12.
NOTE TO EDITORS
The
East African Legislative Assembly is the Legislative Organ of the East
African Community. Its Membership consists of a total of 52, of whom 45
are elected Members (9 from each Partner State) and seven ex-officio
members (the Ministers responsible for EAC Affairs from the Partner
States, the Secretary General of the Community and the Counsel to the
Community).
The
East African Legislative Assembly has Legislative functions as well as
oversight of all East African Community matters. The enactment of
legislation of the Community is effected by means of Bills passed by the
Assembly and assented to by the Heads of State, and every Bill that has
been duly passed and assented to become an Act of the Community and
takes precedent over similar legislations in the Partner States.
Last
year, EALA launched its second Strategic Plan (2013-2018). The
formulation of the Strategic Plan was an all-inclusive process involving
the EALA Commission, Members, staff and other stakeholders.
The Strategic Plan has six main strategic issues:
1. EALA’s main Administrative Autonomy, Capacity and Efficiency.
2. Negotiations for the EAC Pillars of integration.
3. EALA’s corporate image, institutional status, growth and development.
4. Capacity building in regional Parliamentary Practices.
5. Effective, sustainable and Results-oriented communication and sensitization on
EAC integration.
6. Robust and effective Monitoring and Evaluation