EALA MPs arrive in Nairobi ahead of Tuesday sittings

East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MPs have arrived in Nairobi ahead of sittings on Tuesday.

The legislators led by speaker Joseph Ntakirutimana were welcomed by the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula at Parliament buildings.

President William Ruto will on Tuesday open the second sitting of the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) in Nairobi, Kenya.

The 63-member states assembly will hold its sittings – both whole house and committees – at the Parliament Buildings until March.

Addressing a press conference at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi on Monday, EALA speaker Joseph Ntakirutimana said the Assembly has a packed schedule during the three-week special sitting in the country.

“We have different reports and Bills that we will be considering in our sessions here in the country which mainly involve oversight of different partner states,” Ntakirutimana said.

The committee sittings, which began on Monday, will among others consider seven reports touching on oversight of different partner states in areas surrounding transport and trade.

EALA plenary (whole house) will also consider five reports from committees on different bills aimed at addressing several challenges affecting the member states.

A petition filed by a Kenyan citizen on the conduct of the African Development Bank will also be scrutinized in the sittings.

According to its Rules and Procedures, EALA sessions are held on a rotational basis in the five EAC partner states.

At least two of the sittings out of the six held each year have to take place in Arusha, one of which is the budget session each May or June.

EALA legislators last held sittings in Nairobi in 2018.

Currently, the EALA membership stands at 63 with 54 elected members from all the partners and eight ex-officio members.

The ex-official members are the six Ministers from each state responsible for regional cooperation.

CS Peninah Malonza is Kenya’s ex-officio representative at the Assembly.

The other two officials are the Secretary General of the EAC and the Counsel to the Community who are part of debates but do not participate in voting.

On the regional conflict within EAC especially in Burundi and DRC, the leaders mentioned that ‘critical steps’ have been initiated for conflict resolution.

“The Chair of the Head of Summit is undertaking steps amongst counties that have problems. We have talked to presidents in Rwanda, Burundi and DRC and we want these leaders to resolve these problems,” Deng Kuol, chairman of the Council of Ministers, said.

EAC is a regional intergovernmental organization formed by Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi and is headquartered in Arusha, Tanzania.