- He spoke on Thursday when he hosted Joseph Ntakirutimana, the sixth Speaker of EALA for a breakfast meeting in his office.
- Speaker Ntakirutimana was accompanied by Hassan Omar, Kega James Mathenge Kanini and Kering Zipporah Jesang Kurgat.
Image: HANDOUT
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has said that there is a need for a special summit for the East African Community that will be dedicated to revamping the East African Legislative Assembly.
Speaking on Thursday when he hosted Joseph Ntakirutimana, the sixth Speaker of EALA for a breakfast meeting in his office, Wetang’ula said that the concept that brought EALA into place was good but was never allowed to grow as it has remained static.
Speaker Ntakirutimana was accompanied by Hassan Omar, Kega James Mathenge Kanini and Kering Zipporah Jesang Kurgat.
Speaker Wetang’ula congratulated Speaker Ntakirutimana on his election as the sixth EALA Speaker.
He asked the speaker to ensure that he turns around EALA's fortunes by bringing in fresh breadth and direction through his vast and rich experience in parliament, executive, and diplomatic circles, adding that great men built institutions.
"The first Speaker of EALA was very visible, active and vibrant and he used to be felt in all member countries. I also ask you Speaker Ntakirutimana to try and maintain that tempo," he said.
He said that he prides in EALA which is usually at the centre of his thoughts having served as chair of foreign affairs ministers of East Africa when he was Kenya’s foreign affairs minister he supervised the competition to give East Africa its anthem.
The Speaker said that he was delighted that every time he goes around in every village across the country he gets to hear the East African Anthem being hummed along in state functions.
"Even when you look at the European Parliament it stated the same as EALA by the respective parliaments of member states through electoral college by electing respective members but within 15 years EU had transformed into the election of its members by universal sovereignty and that is the only way we can get the general population to know and understand about EALA," he said.
He asked the new speaker to fix things that need to be fixed at EALA having noticed them adding that he was privileged that he comes from a country that the current chair of the East Africa Community hails from.
He said that the Speaker and EALA MPs have a busy calendar to revamp and rejuvenate EALA but they must first have political goodwill to have that actualized.
"I propose that you speak to your head of state who is the EA chair and ask him to organize a summit and invite speakers of the respective parliaments to attend we discuss how we can make EALA more active in its roles so that you do not have so many hurdles in making things run," he said.
He said EALA legislative powers are still very much constrained and can only be expanded through the summit.
The speaker advised speaker Ntakirutimana to take the initiative of engaging speakers from the nine respective parliaments who were more than willing to meet and discuss issues of EALA.
"We are ready to sit as Speakers and see how best to address the EALA issues and harmonize to have a situation where whatever is available for Kenyan MP in EALA is available for Uganda MP too, this will help have commonality and harmony in available opportunities," he said.
"In Kenya, we have a customs union but every day you hear of Uganda barring Kenyans import from entering the country, we have free movements of people goods and services but every day you hear of a Kenyan having been jailed in Tanzania for illegal entry."
Image: HANDOUT
Wetang’ula said that when he was the foreign affairs minister there used to be the foreign affairs committee, and the attorney general committee and if they are still there they can be good avenues to use to influence EALA issues.
He asked the Kenyan MPs in EALA to also engage the Kenyan Parliament committee that oversights the EALA ministry adding that committees are not limited to what they do and they can generate legislations or motions that can help bring more awareness and other things to EALA.
"I know you have severally asked me whether this parliament can take you as full-time or make you an appendage to this house but looking at our constitution there are serious limitations since the constitution describes how the membership of this house should be," he said.
The speaker said that member states fund the community apart from donor funds from European and other donors but there has been a serious problem of persistent defaulters that are not doing east Africa good at all.
"As a country, we have a relationship that is very old and good since here in Kenya the colonialists brought hundreds of Burundi and Rwandis people to work in settler farms in Kericho and Kitale and we have about 30,000 Burundis and 30,000 Rwandans living in Kenya, we are trying to find a way in which we can make them one of the recognized communities," he said.
Speaker Ntakirutimana thanked Wetang’ula for the warm reception and asked him to take the lead role in ensuring Speakers from member state Parliaments help in addressing the many challenges facing the EALA.
He said that they have been having constraints in their budget that are very minimal saying that there is a high need to relook into Article 9 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community that helped form the EALA and revise it.
"The budget allocated to EALA has steadily declined over the last three years despite the expansion of the Assembly in terms of Membership and oversight activities," he said.
He said that the reduction of the budget had affected the Assembly’s budget lines adversely in terms of removal/suspension/reduction of some critical activities such as outreach and sensitization, Inter-Parliamentary Relations Seminar Series and reduced committees and plenary days.
Other Kenyan elected members to EALA include Iman Falhada Dekow, Kalonzo Kennedy Musyoka, Mwangi Godffrey Maina, Odinga, Winnie Irmgard, Sankok David Ole, and Shahbal Suleiman Said.