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.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 12th January, 2021: The Judiciary in Uganda says that is ready to handle all election disputes that will emerge from the Presidential and Parliamentary elections that will be held on 14th January, 2021.
Uganda’s Deputy Chief Justice (DCJ) Richard Butera disclosed that the judiciary had already conducted training for judicial officers particularly on the handling of election petitions and disputes.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 10th January, 2021: The East African Community Election Observer Mission to the Uganda General Election to be held on 14th January, 2021 has been formally launched.
Speaking during the launch of the mission at a Kampala hotel, the Head of the Mission, H.E. Domitien Ndayizeye, who is also a former president of the Republic of Burundi, said that the Community attaches great importance to the promotion of democracy, which will in turn guarantee political stability in the entire region.
“Further to the invitation of the Electoral Commission of Uganda, the EAC is deploying an Election Observation Mission to the General Election in the Republic of Uganda. The mission will observe the presidential and parliamentary elections,” said Ndayizeye.
“EAC believes that regional observation can play a critically important supportive role that would enhance the credibility of the elections, reinforce the work of domestic observer groups and increase public confidence in the entire electoral process,” he added.
The Head of Mission said that the mission aims at contributing to strengthening political accountability amongst political actors and the Government of Uganda in addition to providing an opportunity for other EAC Partner States to share experiences on election management with a view to learning from each other and sharing best practices.
He said that the mission was in line with Article 3 (3) of the Treaty for Establishment of the EAC, which requires Partner States to adhere to the universally acceptable principles of good governance, human rights and social justice.
H.E. Ndayizeye said that in its assessment of the electoral process, the mission would be guided by the democratic principles and values outlined in the African Charter for Democracy, Elections and Governance, and the EAC Principles for Election Observation and Evaluation.
The mission comprises 74 observers and support staff drawn from the East African Legislative Assembly, East African Court of Justice, EAC Secretariat and the Electoral Management bodies, Ministries of EAC Affairs and Human Rights Commissions of the EAC Partner States.
The team that will undergo contextual training ahead of field deployment and will be deployed equitably to the various parts of the country on 12th January, 2021.
Also present at the launch ceremony were the Deputy Head of Mission, Hon. Dr. Oburu Oginga, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, Eng. Steven Mlote and the Mission Coordinator, Mr. Charles Njoroge.
Notes to Editors:
The objectives of the Mission are to:
Observe the electoral process and to offer a balance and informed assessment of the elections;
Create public confidence in the electoral processes by encouraging the voters and other stakeholders to participate freely in an environment that promotes competition and tolerance without intimidation and violence;
Identify the challenges, weaknesses, opportunities and strengths that can be harnessed into best practices for the region through peer learning by the Electoral Management Bodies;
Assess the legitimacy of the electoral processes and outcome in accordance with internationally accepted standards, and;
Make recommendations for strengthening of electoral processes for the benefit of not only the Republic of Uganda but for the EAC region as a whole.
For more information, please contact:
Simon Peter Owaka Senior Public Relations Officer Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 768 552087 Email: sowaka [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of six Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
