……as the 21st Summit of the EAC Heads of State scheduled for 27th February, 2021
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 23rd February, 2021: The 40th Ordinary Meeting of the East African Community Council of Ministers is currently underway via hybrid (physical and virtual) means.
The four-day meeting started with the Session of Senior Officials which ends on Tuesday, 23rd February, 2021.T he session of the Coordination Committee (Permanent /Principal/Under Secretaries) is set for Wednesday, 24th February 2021 while the Ministerial Session will take place on Thursday, 25th February, 2021.
…Assembly puts on ice the proposed legislation, set to re-introduce it afresh
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, February 12th 2021: Following numerous concerns raised by various stakeholders, EALA has today withdrawn the EAC Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) Bill, 2017, paving way for the Committee on General Purpose to re-draft the said legislation afresh.
The House approved a Report of the Committee on General Purpose, presented by the Chair, Hon. Denis Namara, putting on ice - the said legislation, until such time, a fresh Bill that incorporates various views and concerns of stakeholders, is re-drafted.
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, 10th February, 2021: The East African Legislative Assembly has urged the EAC Council of Ministers to cause Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) to embark on the process of harmonization of Partner States’ policies and laws appertaining to the Lake Victoria Basin.
Closely related to the matter, the Assembly further wants LVBC and EAC Partner States, to jointly establish surveillance for safety, security and rescue matters in the entire lake. A report of the Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources (ATNR) on the On-Spot Assessment of the Lake Victoria Basin, presented yesterday to the House by Hon. Mathias Kasamba (on behalf of the substantive Committee Chair, Hon. Dr. Abdulla H. Makame), also tasks the region to make every effort to safeguard LVBC’s mandate, by strengthening its capacity, inter alia through enhanced funding and provision of requisite human resources.
East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 10th February, 2021: The US Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania Donald Wright has today been accredited as the country’s representative to the East African Community.
Amb. Wright presented his letters of credence to EAC Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, at the EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 09th February, 2021: The High Commissioner of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the United Republic of Tanzania, Amb. Muhammad Saleem, has today been accredited as the country’s representative to the East African Community.
The High Commissioner presented his letter of credence to EAC Secretary General, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, at the EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, January 29th 2021: Fresh from the passage of the EAC Budget 2020/2021 at a Special Sitting held on January 27th, 2021, the regional Assembly has commenced its Second Meeting of the Forth Session via virtual means. The Session which got underway on January 28th, 2021, with a meeting of the EALA Commission, runs until February 17th, 2021.
Key highlights of the plenary that is presided over by the EALA Speaker, Rt Hon Ngoga Karoli Martin, is a report of the Assembly assessing the implementation of the Report of the Committee on Regional Affairs and Conflict Resolution on progress made by the Community towards achieving the EAC Confederation constitution and the EAC Election Observer Missions. The Report is pertinent given the integration journey towards attainment of the last pillar of integration, the EAC Political (Con) Federation.
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, Tanzania: 27 January, 2021: The East African Legislative Assembly today reconsidered and approved the EAC Budget Estimates for the Financial Year 2020/21, amounting to USD 97,669,708, at a Special Sitting held virtually. With it, the Assembly further enacted the recommitted EAC Appropriation Bill, 2020.
Under the 2020/21 vote, the EAC Secretariat is to receive USD 48,564,401, while the East African Legislative Assembly gets USD 16,755,725. The East African Court of Justice is expected to benefit from the kitty, earning USD 3,970,406, while USD 8,380,057 is earmarked for the Lake Victoria Basin Commission. The Assembly further approved USD 1,536,751 for the activities of the East African Science and Technology Commission, and USD 1,399,318 for the activities of the East African Kiswahili Commission.
East African Community, Arusha, Tanzania, 23rd January, 2021:The construction of the multinational Tanzania –Uganda Road Project of Masaka – Kyotera - Mutukula/ Mutukula – Kyaka and Bugene – Kasulo – Kumunazi is on the way after the conclusion of Feasibility Study and Detailed Engineering Design funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) under the NEPAD-IPPF facility.
The designs, done by M/S LEA International Limited from Canada in a joint venture with LEA Associates Asia Pvt Ltd from India, covered 89.5 kilometers of the Masaka to Mutukula road section in Uganda; a 30 km section from Mutukula to Kyaka linking to a 133 km Tanzania section from Bugene to Kumunazi via Kasulo.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 18th January, 2021: The East African Community Election Observer Mission to the 2021 Uganda General Elections has urged the Electoral Commission of Uganda to consider registering as voters all persons who turn 18 ahead of future general elections.
The mission further urged the Electoral Commission to consider timely accreditation and issuance of accreditation documents to domestic observers to enable effective observation of future elections.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 12th January, 2021: Observer teams from the East African Community Election Observer Mission (EAC-EOM) to the January 2021 Uganda General Election were formally flagged off in Kampala this morning.
Flagging off the observers, EAC-EOM Head of Mission H.E. Domitien Ndayizeye, said that to ensure objectivity and impartiality, the observers had been drawn from all the EAC Partner States except the Republic of Uganda which is going to election on 14th January, 2021.
