National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula has led his team in proposing the change of status for the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).
Speaking on Tuesday at the 66th CPA Annual Conference in Accra, Ghana, Wetang’ula pushed for the transformation of the CPA from a charitable body into an International Inter-Parliamentary Institution.
Wetang’ula stated that it’s high time to take action since the UK has delayed passing legislation to facilitate the change of status for the organization.
"If the UK does not expedite the process of changing the status of CPA, then we have no option but to move the headquarters and Secretariat to Africa," Wetang'ula said.
"Kenya is ready to host the CPA headquarters and has the support of President H.E (Dr.) William Ruto in this endeavour."
The Speaker said that one way to have more control over the administration of CPA operations is to change the CPA's status.
He also mentioned that Kenya is ready to host the CPA headquarters and proposed it move to Africa.
The conference which drew delegates from more than 60 member countries pointed out that the main reason for backing the change.
They said it was to make sure that the subscription money from members supports the organization's essential functions rather than going into a charity fund.
Sierra Leone Speaker Abbas Bundu highlighted that member countries cannot wait for the UK to enact the required laws.
He suggested that the UK should be given a deadline of April 2024 to implement the change of CPA's status.
If the UK does not obey, he said, the group should be allowed to relocate the CPA headquarters to Africa.
Several countries have expressed interest in hosting the CPA headquarters if it is moved from the UK to Africa.
These countries include Ghana, Malaysia, Tanzania, and Uganda.
