…Hon Prof Kabudi pledges support for the integration process
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, Tanzania: May 13th, 2019: The Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Co-operation, United Republic of Tanzania, Hon Prof Palamagamba John Aidan Mwaluko Kabudi this afternoon took Oath of Allegiance as an Ex-Officio Member of the Assembly.
Hon Prof Kabudi was sworn in by the Clerk to the Assembly at a brief ceremony witnessed by the Speaker and Members of EALA in line with the Rule 5 of the Rules and Procedures of the Assembly. The Rule 5(4) of the Rules of Procedure says in part that: “No Member can sit or participate in the proceedings of the House until the Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance to the Treaty is taken”.
Kenya to make its first shipment of crude oil in June 2019
Recent Discoveries Show Very Impressive Results in the region, asserts EAC Official
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 8th May 2019: Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Petroleum and Mining, Hon. John Munyes on Wednesday 8th May 2019 graced the official opening of the 9th East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition 2019, themed East African Region - the destination of choice for Oil and Gas Investment Opportunities to enhance Socioeconomic Transformation.
The Cabinet Secretary disclosed that Kenya was on course with the discovery of oil and the country is expected to ship its first 200,000 barrels of crude oil in June 2019 after hitting the 200,000-barrel mark set by the government for it to be able to ship out the product. The Cabinet Secretary also disclosed that Tullow Oil had so far transported 87,000 barrels of crude oil to the refineries storage tanks in Mombasa.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 6th May, 2019: The 38th meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers is currently underway at the East African Community Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania
The five-day meeting, started today with the Session of Senior Officials which will run up to Wednesday 8th May, 2019. The session of the Coordination Committee (Permanent /Principal/Under Secretaries) is on 9th May, 2019 while the Ministerial Session will be held on Friday, 10th May, 2019
The meeting is considering several matters geared towards deepening and widening the regional integration agenda that include the Reports on: the implementation of Previous Decisions of the Council; Office of the Secretary General; Planning and Infrastructure, and; Report on Productive and Social Sectors.
Other Reports to be considered are on: Political Matters; Customs and Trade; Finance and Administration Matters; and Reports of other EAC Organs i.e. East African Legislative Assembly and East African Court of Justice.
The Council of Ministers is the Policy-making Organ of the Community. It consists of the Ministers responsible for East African Community/regional cooperation of each Partner State and such other Ministers of the Partner State as each Partner State shall determine. Among its functions, the Council promotes, monitors and keeps under constant review the implementation of the programmes of the Community and ensures the proper functioning of the regional organization.
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For more information, please contact:
Mr Owora Richard Othieno Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 784 835021 Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 06th May, 2019: The 9th East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition 2019 (EAPCE’19) is set to be held in Mombasa, Kenya at the PrideInn Paradise Beach Resort, Convention Centre and Spa from 8th to 10th May 2019.
The 9th edition of the biennial oil and gas regional event, themed East African Region - the destination of choice for Oil and Gas Investment Opportunities to enhance Socioeconomic Transformation, will provide a unique forum for dialogue for all players in the Petroleum industry regionally and internationally. Technical papers, posters and exhibitions aligned to the conference theme are lined up to produce stimulating interactions among conference delegates.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 30th April, 2019: The 10th meeting of the East African Community (EAC) Sectoral Council on Finance and Economic Affairs (SCFEA) is currently underway at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The five-day meeting, which started yesterday 29th April, 2019, is being attended by Finance and Economic Affairs experts from the EAC Partner States.
The SCFEA is, among others, considering the status of implementation of previous directives, reports of the Capital Market, Insurance and Pensions Committee, Committee on Fiscal Affairs and the report of the Task Force on development of East African Monetary Union (EAMU) institutions.
The SCFEA meeting kicked off with the Session of Senior Officials, which will run up to 1st May, 2019. This will be followed by the Coordination Committee, which consists of the Permanent/Principal Secretaries on 2nd May, 2019, and the Ministerial Session on 3rd May, 2019.
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For more information, please contact:
Mr Owora Richard Othieno Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department EAC Secretariat Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255 784 835021 Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, 29 April, 2019: The 5th Meeting of the 2nd Session of EALA commences this morning (April 29th, 2019) in Arusha, Tanzania, and runs through to May 18th, 2019.
Key items during the three-week Sitting include the debate on the East African Community Youth Council Bill, 2017 and the Report of the Committee on consideration and review of the Accounts Report for the Financial Year ended June 30th, 2017. Also, to be tabled and debated in the House is a key report of the Committee of Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources on oversight with stakeholders for Budgetary enhancement in the Agricultural sector, an activity which took place in March this year.
The object of the EAC Youth Council Bill, 2017, is to provide a legal framework for the harmonization of laws and policies regarding the youth in the Community. This Bill is premised on Article 120 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC and in particular seeks to implement the EAC Youth Policy, 2014, which is an integral component of the 4th Development Strategy.
The Development Strategy identifies among other things; the strengthening and promotion of policies, laws and programmes that focus on the development of youth in the Community. Last month, EALA held public hearings in the Partner States to concretize the inputs and views of youth among other stakeholders on the Bill. The report of the Committee on Accounts on its part, was debated but not adopted when the Assembly met in Arusha on November 6th, 2018.
Instead, the House asked the Committee on Accounts chaired by Hon Dr Ngwaru Maghembe, to revise the recommendations contained therein the report to make it more time bound and actionable. The House is expected to receive an update on the matter.
Other significant issues at the forthcoming Plenary are key meetings of all Committees of the House. Coming up for consideration the entire first week are a number of issues to be deliberated on at Committee level. The six Committees are:
the Committee on Accounts,
the Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources,
the Committee on General Purpose,
the Committee on Regional Affairs and Conflict Resolution,
the Committee on Communication, Trade and Investment, and
the Committee on Legal Rules and Privileges.
The whole House will also meet with a number of stakeholders. A sensitization workshop on Tripartite Transport and Transit facilitation programme (TTTFP) is planned to apprise the House of progress in the transport and infrastructure sector. The objective of the programme anchored under the EAC, Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Tripartite, is to facilitate the development of a more competitive, integrated and liberalized road transport are in the process of developing common standards.
Already, the initiative has carried out baseline studies in 19 participating Member States (including the EAC Partner States) and the workshop is anticipated as an avenue to unpack the TTTFP legal instruments of the proposed Vehicle Load Management Agreement as well as developed model laws and other standards. Already, the One Stop Border Post Control Bill, enacted by EALA is enforce.
The African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) will also hold a session with the Assembly on Illicit Financial Flows and Sovereign debt crisis – in the context of Africa in general and East Africa, in particular. In addition, the Executive Secretary and senior officials of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) will hold an interactive session with the House.
The Assembly which holds six Plenary Sessions in every Financial Year, has a principle of rotation. The last sitting (4th Meeting) was held in the isles of Zanzibar on February 16th, 2019 to March 9th, 2019.
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For more information, please contact:
Bobi Odiko Senior Public Relations Officer East African Legislative Assembly Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255-27-2508240 Fax: +255-27-2503103 Cell: +255-787-870945, +254-733-718036 Email: BOdiko [at] eachq.org Web: www.eala.org
About the East African Legislative Assembly:
The East African Legislative Assembly is the Legislative Organ of the East African Community. Its Membership consists of a total of 62, of whom 54 are elected Members (9 from each Partner State) and eight ex-officio members (the Ministers responsible for EAC Affairs from the Partner States, the Secretary General of the Community and the Counsel to the Community).
The East African Legislative Assembly has legislative functions as well as oversight of all East African Community matters. The enactment of legislation of the Community is put in effect by means of Bills passed by the Assembly and assented to by the Heads of State, and every Bill that has been duly passed and assented to become an Act of the Community and takes precedent over similar legislations in the Partner States. EALA has to date passed 79 pieces of legislation.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 25th April, 2019: Her Excellency Ms. Pamela O’Donnell, the High Commissioner of the Canadian High Commission in the United Republic of Tanzania, today paid a courtesy call on the Secretary General of the East African Community, Amb. Liberat Mfumukeko, at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The Secretary General briefed the Canadian Envoy on the latest milestones recorded in all the four regional integration pillars and the two officials later discussed a wide range of issues geared towards deepening cooperation between Canada and the East African Community.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, 25th April, 2019: The East African Community, in partnership with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the Indian Ocean Commission have over the last three years been implementing the ESA-IO Maritime Security Strategy with a Euro 37.5 Million seed funding from the European Union. Among the interventions envisaged is the enhancement of the Capacity of the Criminal Investigations Authorities of the participating states to effectively and efficiently investigate crimes at sea in a manner that provides a successful legal finish. The EAC was entrusted with this result area and commenced training of investigators on General investigations, Forensic Investigations and Criminal Analysis. Six intermediate trainings, targeting 50 officers per cluster were held between January and June 2018.
The advanced trainings for the same officers in each of the clusters commenced with the training of 50 officers on Criminal Analysis that commenced on 23rd April 2019 in Mauritius. The trainings will take place within a two week period ending May 5th 2019. The trainings are being held at the Mauritius Prisons Training School in Port Louis. INTERPOL, within the context of the MoU between EAC and it (INTERPOL) concluded in 2012, is providing the technical expertise.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 10th April, 2019: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows to East Africa fell by 14% in 2018, this is according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
UNCTAD says that the fall in FDI inflows to East Africa was significant, adding that it makes the region’s in competing for investment projects more challenging.
This despite FDI flows to Africa bucking the global trend and registering and increase of 6% in 2018, though most of these inflows went to North and Southern Africa.
Mr. Paul Wessendorp, Chief of UNCTAD’s Investment Promotion Section, further disclosed that global FDI inflows fell by 19% in 2018 to an estimated US$1.2 trillion, from US$1.47 trillion in 2017.
East African Legislative Assembly, Doha, Qatar: 8th April, 2019: The 140th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly commenced in Qatar, this week (April 6-10, 2019) with over 1000 MPs from 160 Parliaments globally, in attendance to deliberate on issues under the umbrella theme of “Parliaments as platforms to enhance education for peace, security and the rule of law”
EALA Speaker, Rt Hon Ngoga Karoli Martin, is represented by EALA Member and Commissioner, Hon Dr Oburu Oginga. Hon Dr Oginga addressed the congregation this morning (April 8h, 2019) urging parliamentarians to enact legislation and provide oversight on policies on the education sector that build and enhance sustainable peace. Hon Dr Oginga termed access to education, resources, respect for diversity and identity as well as equal and equitable participation in decision making at all levels as critical. He further called for measures to address the historical and contemporary injustices.
The EALA Member said Parliaments need to be more impactful in their approaches to addressing peace and ensuring rule of law. Hon Dr Oginga told legislators to advocate for targeted education and initiatives that abhor violence, enhance peace-building tools and support human security around the globe for positive societal impact.
Hon Dr Oginga said EALA had continued to play a critical part in so far as peace and security is concerned. “The Assembly has passed the EAC Human and Peoples’ Rights Bill, 2012 and about 12 Resolutions on the subject matter. The Assembly further works with the EAC Secretariat and other institutions in promoting research, building pertinent partnerships and peace initiatives as measures to curtail forms of insecurity and thus promote peaceful co-existence of communities”, he said. The Member called for full implementation of the Peace and Security Protocol including the setting up of an EAC Security Council and an EAC Stand-by-Brigade as well as the institutionalization of the Panel of the Wise and other related institutions.
He further called for effective oversight on the projects of the agencies that ensure cohesiveness and concerted efforts towards ensuring humanity issues are addressed.
The 140th Assembly is covering multiple subjects including role of fair and free trade and investments in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially that which regard economic equality, sustainable agriculture, industrialization and innovation. A number of emergency items are further expected to be tabled during the week-long event as is provided for under Assembly Rule 11.1 and Article 14.2 of the IPU Statutes. The items proposed include a call for urgent international action to support Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, hit by the cyclone Idai and another on preventing and combating racism, intolerance, islamophobia and xenophobia.
Other EALA Members in attendance are, Hon Dr Francois Kalinda, Hon Rose Akol, Hon Dr Gabriel Garang Alaak, Hon Pamela Masaay and senior EALA Parliamentary staff.
The 140th IPU edition has also attracted over 50 Speakers of Parliament and 40 Deputy Speakers. Of the MPs in attendance, 20 per cent are young MPs under 45 years of age and 33 per cent are women.
Other EAC Speakers and Parliamentarians are also in attendance. The Republic of Kenya is led by the Speaker of the Senate, Rt Hon Kenneth Lusaka. Rt Hon Nyabenda Pascal, Speaker of the Burundi National Assembly leads his delegation as Rt Hon Job Ndugai, Speaker of Parliament of Tanzania leads legislators from the Parliament of Tanzania. Delegations from the Parliament of Uganda, Parliament of Rwanda and the Transitional National Legislative Assembly of the Republic of South Sudan are also in attendance.
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For more information, please contact:
Bobi Odiko Senior Public Relations Officer East African Legislative Assembly Arusha, Tanzania Tel: +255-27-2508240 Fax: +255-27-2503103 Cell: +255-787-870945, +254-733-718036 Email: BOdiko [at] eachq.org Web: www.eala.org
About the East African Legislative Assembly:
The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) is the Legislative Organ of the Community and has a cardinal function to further EAC objectives, through its Legislative, Representative and Oversight mandate. It was established under Article 9 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community.
