• Of the six East Africa Community countries it is only Kenya that is reported to paid the annual contributions.
• Failure by Burundi and S.Sudan to make their contributions and the arrears the other countries have has forced the assembly to delay in passing its 2020-21 budget.
Four Jubilee MPs of the East Africa Legislative Assembly have been given seven days to clear party subscription arrears, failure to which they risk losing their positions.
A source within the party on Tuesday told the Star that of the five Jubilee legislators, only one has his payment record up to date.
“They are in breach of the party constitution and failure to remit the amount attracts a penalty including suspension or revocation of their nomination and sponsorship. They all signed acceptance of the terms of membership and nominations,” the source told the Star.
He is not allowed to speak on behalf of the party.
Among the four are former Kamukunji MP Simon Mbugua, former Mandera North MP Aden Noor Mohammed, former Nyandarua Woman Rep Wanjiku Muhia and Florence Jematiah Sergon.
Former Tigania East MP Mpuru Aburi has no arrears.
The Jubilee MPs to the Arusha-based Parliament are required to remit a monthly fee of Sh20,000 each but majority of them have defaulted up to Sh620,000.
Noor, Mbugua and Jematiah all have a balance of Sh620,000 each while Muhia has Sh520,000.
Jematiah told the Star on phone that it was not their making “but the financial crisis facing EAC which is now in the public domain”.
“We have not passed the budget and all the activities of the community have been grounded because of lack of funds,” she said.
Noor told the Star on phone that all the MPs are now representing Kenya and not Jubilee saying the party should have first sought to address the problems facing the assembly.
“There is no problem. Let them write the letters. We have not been paid salaries for the last three months and some people are writing to us letters,” Noor said.
Attempts to get a comment from Mbugua were unsuccessful as he did not pick calls or respond to text messages while Muhia declined to comment further.
It is, however, understood that it is not just the Jubilee MPs who owe subscriptions fees.
Wiper Democratic Movement party is represented by party leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s son Kennedy Musyoka while ODM is represented by leader Raila Odinga’s elder brother Oburu Odinga. Former Balambala MP Abdikadir Aden and former Wajir Woman Rep Fatuma Ibrahim Ali are also in the assembly.
The Jubilee MPs have linked their failure to pay the fees to the financial crisis that has hit the regional assembly for the last four months.
Of the six EAC countries, only Kenya is reported to pay the annual contributions while the rest - Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi and South Sudan - have arrears which have paralysed the operations of the critical organ tasked with championing the unity of the block, among other things.
Already, the assembly has passed a motion asking the EAC council of ministers to invoke Article 143 and 146 of the EAC Treaty to have South Sudan and Burundi expelled from the community as they have fallen behind in remitting contributions.
If the council endorses the motion, the resolution will be forwarded to the Heads of State Summit which will have the final say on the fate of the two countries.
“A partner state which defaults in meeting its financial and other obligations under this Treaty shall be subject to such action as the Summit may on recommendation of the Council, determine,” Article 143 states.
Article 146 reads, “The Summit may suspend states from taking part in the activities of the community if that state fails to observe and fulfill the fundamental principles and objectives of the Treaty including failure to meet financial commitments to the community within a period of eighteen months.”
Failure by the two countries to make their contributions and the arrears the other countries have has forced the assembly to delay in passing its 2020-21 budget which has grounded operations of the Parliament including paying salaries.
Edited by R.Wamochie