Addressing Members of the East African Legislative Assembly at their fifth meeting in Kampala, the Uganda President warned that economic integration alone can create disequilibrium with countries not reaping equal benefits.

He told the legislators  that to consolidate integration there should be political integration as well saying a common market alone can create injustice by making some partner states markets for the others

President Museveni who hailed the reassembling of the East African Community in 1993 noted that the community cannot be complete without South Sudan and Congo.

“The East African region was a trading area long before the British colonialists. By reviving the community we are fulfilling our historical trade links”, he told MPs.

The Ugandan President confirmed that Uganda had tremendously benefitted from reintegration with export earnings shooting from 282 million dollars to 8 billion dollars.

Rt.Hon. Kadaga Rebecca the Speaker of the Uganda Parliament in her address noted the need to operationalize articles in the treaty for the establishment of the East African Community to enable the region attain political federation.

She hailed the East African Parliament for establishing itself as a strong effective regional legislature.

Kenyan President H.E.Mwai Kibaki is scheduled to address the East African Assembly at the Uganda Parliament Chambers Wednesday morning.

By Isaac Senabulya

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The case filed by the Democratic Party and its Legal Advisor, Mukasa Fred Mbidde is against The Secretary General of the East African Community and The Attorney General of the Republic of Uganda.

DP sued the government of Uganda and the EAC protesting the procedure being followed in electing representatives of the East Africa Legislative Assembly.

Mbidde in the petition claims that the procedure which gives the ruling party majority spots is discriminatory against the small political parties thus denying them representation in the regional parliament.

DP contends that the EALA delegates are currently elected from among competitors by all MPs, meaning that the NRM with a huge majority will most likely take all the seats.

This procedure is different from the election of representatives for the African Union Parliament where the five delegates are elected based on the numeric strength of a particular party in parliament.

The case, application Number 6 of 2011 will be heard before the Principal Judge Honourable Mr. Justice Johnston Busingye, the Deputy Principal Judge Honourable Lady Justice Mary Stella Arach Amoko and Honourable Mr. Justice Isaac Lenaola.

According to a statement from the court registrar, the hearing will take place in open Court, 1^st Floor, Leopard Tours Company Limited Building along Arusha-Moshi Road.

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Sekandi was today speaking at the opening at the 3rd East African Conference on good governance.

He observed that the countries have ignored the common person in the entire intergration process, limiting its impact.

Sekandi advised that involving the common man will make the integration process more meaningful.

He called on the countries in the East African Community to work together towards ensuring that the rule of law prevails in the region.

Sekandi further urged the countries to find solutions to the problems plaguing the region such as the high inflation rates and increased cost of living.

The Conference which has attracted participants from all the East African community partner states is being held under the theme “upholding the rule of law and constitutionalism, for promotion of regional integrity.

By Olive Eyotaru

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Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda

Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda said this during the opening of the East African community task force meeting on digital broad casting that attracted experts from across the region.

He called upon experts to crystallize the use of digital migration in the region and pledged government support in the implementation of the East African community decision.

Dr. Rugunda added that sharing of experiences is crucial in the new era of digital broadcasting saying that policy makers and the population should be brought on board while discussing matters regarding
broadcasting.

Durieng the same meeting, the executive director Uganda communication Godfrey Mutabazi said there is need to regulate and harmonize the local content through a policy such that all countries in the region can move together.

By Mugisa Isaac Matthias

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Presently the representatives from each of the five partner states under the East African Community to the regional assembly are elected through national parliaments.

Rebecca Kadaga

The EAC Secretary General, Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera who is currently visiting Uganda said there may be a need to change the electoral college for the election of members to EALA to make the Assembly more representative.

He however said that there was no agreement yet on whether universal adult suffrage would be adopted.

Dr. Sezibera said national parliaments must play a central role in the integration of the people of East Africa.

Kadaga said she had asked the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline to split and create a Committee on East African Community Affairs from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, to focus on matters of regional integration.

She said, she had also recommended that the Minister for EAC affairs brief Parliament about the process of integration once a year.

In a separate meeting, Kadaga also met the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly, Abdirahim H. Abdi, who paid a courtesy call on her at Parliament Building.

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Left is Beatrice Kiraso, EAC Deputy Secretary General, Political Federation at the meeting with EC

EAC is in the process of formulating five pillars that will see all leaders of member states promote good governance in their respective nations where all are expected to sign on the protocol soon next month.

This according EAC deputy secretary general of the secretariat Beatrice Kiraso.

She says the move is aimed at clamping down on dictatorship and bad governance among member states’ leaders against their subjects.

Kiraso says  emphasis is on human rights protection and promotion, fighting graft, promoting democracy, setting up a team to oversee elections in member states among others.

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The Parliament of The United Republic of Tanzania and the Chamber of Deputies of Rwanda already have female Speakers. This is a clear indication of transformation because considering that Uganda has never in its 49 years of independence had a female Speaker.

This transformation has partially been expedited by the NRM Government ably led by President Yoweri Museveni, global impetus spearheading advocacy for women’s rights; and most significantly increased access to education which has opened doors at all levels for women. Education and globalisation apart, character and attitude play a significant role.

Kadaga is an extremely intelligent, hard -working and tenacious person who has worked tirelessly for justice and equal opportunities for all. This placed at the right place, at the right time. Her tenure, like that of the other East African female speakers will no doubt change the politics of the region in unprecedented ways.

The unique advantage of women’s participation in politics has many attributes, some of these include the fact that women bring to the fore practical issues such as food, shelter, clothing and the well-being of the family.

Women also bring to the fore issues unique to them as a group such as infant and maternal health, cervical and breast cancer. They bring natural attributes as nurturers which include patience, perseverance and courage to name but a few.

Dora Byamukama

At the East African Community level, the East African Legislative Assembly is currently in the process of debating the EAC Annual Budget Estimates for the Financial Year 2011/2012.

The theme of this year’s budget is: Implementation of the Common Market and laying the foundation for the Monetary Union. The year 2011/2012 will be a momentous one as the Community implements the Common Market and energises the process of establishment of an East African Monetary Union. The Budget Speech presented to the Assembly on May 19, 2011 recognised that: “the Gross Domestic Product of the region has increased from $46.5b to $74.5b over the period 2005 to 2009 while per capita income has gone from $402 to $571 over the same period.

This is great news considering that next phase of integration, which is the Monetary Union, will enable the East African Community to increase intra-regional trade since we shall all be using one monetary system.

It means that increasing per capita income from $571 to $1,000 will take an even shorter period and thus has capacity to spiral the East African Community into a middle income region in record time.

The Assembly approved a Budget of $77, 664,443 for the Financial Year 2010/2011. The Council this year requests for the approval of $109,680,319 for the Financial Year 2011/2012. This marked increase of over 41% which reflects the fact that with the deepening and widening of the integration process, more and more resources need to be committed to the EAC Budget.

One of the issues of concern is that out of the $109,680,319 for which approval is sought, $ 33,666, 700 will be contributed by Partner States while $75,307,769 will be contributed by Development Partners and other income amounting to $205,850.

This obviously means that our Development Partners are putting in almost twice as much into the EAC than the Partner States and yet all Partner States acknowledge that integration is a top priority in the development of the region. This state of affairs calls for more coordinated and consistent action. Whereas the contribution of Development Partners is appreciated, it is imperative for EAC Partner States to prioritise funding for the EAC integration in their respective budgets.

This calls for increase of contribution to the EAC Budget and more significantly for the EAC to expedite the process of establishing sustainable ways of financing the integration process such as taxing revenue. The fact that all the EAC Partner States have enjoyed benefits accruing from the operations of the Community and that so far, no economic imbalances have arisen out the integration process re-affirms the need for heightened commitment to integration.

In addition to this, the fact that all programs to be financed in the Financial Year 2011/2012 will result into increased revenue for the Community justifies more consistent support from Partner States. Priority programs that the EAC will focus on in 2011/2012 are:

• Implementation of the Common Market Protocol;
• Conclusion of the EAC Monetary Union Protocol;
• Deepening Cooperation in Defense, Security and Political matters;
• Implementation of EAC Institutional Review Recommendations;
• Promotion of Agriculture and Food Security and Implementation of Climate Change Action Plan;
• Promotion of regional multilateral trade;
• Expansion of regional Infrastructural facilities;
• Implementation of EAC Industrialisation;
• Investment promotion and Private Sector Development Strategies;
• Promotion of sustainable use of Environment and Natural Resources, Tourism and Wildlife Conservation;

·  Enhancing EAC visibility and operationalisation of the EAC Development Fund.

One of the operational principles of the Community that govern the practical achievement of the objectives of the Community is – the EAC integration process must be people centered and market driven co-operation.

Each of us has a role to play right from the farmer who yearns to sell potatoes cassava across the boarder of Katuna and Gatuna right up to those who transact business via the Securities Exchange. Increased support of EAC integration will no doubt transform the EAC region into a middle income. This will in turn address political, economic and social challenges such as poverty, poor health, and conflict over scarce resources; more effectively.

By By Dora Byamukama, Uganda’s reprehensive in the East African Legislative Assembly

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EAC Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania; 9 February 2011: Experts from the EAC are meeting in Moshi, Tanzania, to conclude benchmarks/principles for Election Observation and Monitoring in the region.

The 7 – 11 February meeting was convened by the EAC Secretariat and has drawn Members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and representatives from the Partner States’ Electoral Commissions, led by the Chairperson of the Independent Election Commission of Burundi (CENI), Ambassador Pierre Ndayicariye.

The first draft of the election observation and monitoring mechanism which was developed and passed by the EALA, is now receiving input from the various stakeholders in a participatory manner to enhance ownership.

According to EAC Deputy Secretary General (in charge of Political Federation), Hon. Beatrice Kiraso,  “The mechanism will be a tool for political mutual accountability, adding to prudent democratization processes which are key for the transition of EAC towards a Political Federation”.

Hon. Kiraso adds: “We want to develop common benchmarks that will be followed by Partner States of EAC, but we are mindful of the fact that monitoring and evaluation is a deep concept that should allow for the region to look beyond mere polling.

“This calls for analysis of issues of citizens’ rights, legitimacy of the process, level playing field and respect of fundamental human rights.  And a whole range of issues in the political as well as legal contexts”.

The common standards to guide election monitoring and observation have been described by participants as a conflict-prevention tool.

They will also support the EAC Protocol on Good Governance whose first pillar is democracy and democratization processes.  The draft Protocol is now undergoing consultations at national level before it is finally adopted by the Council of Ministers.

Other participants at the meeting include officials from relevant ministries from the Partner States as well as the EAC Secretariat.  Experts from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Johannesburg, South Africa, and the Carter Centre in the United States have also been invited to share experiences.

For more information please contact: Owora Richard Othieno, Head of Department; Corporate Communications and Public Affairs; Tel: +255 784 835021; Email: othieno@eachq.org

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A Multi-Sectoral Council of Ministers meeting on the EAC Common Market Protocol is underway in Bujumbura, Burundi.

The Multi-Sectoral Council is considering several issues pertaining to the Protocol including two Annexes namely: Annex on Mutual Recognition of Academic and Professional Qualifications; Annex on Macro Economic Convergence Criteria; and Annex on Social Security Benefits in the Community. The meeting will also consider additional commitments under the Schedule on the Free Movement of Workers and under the Schedule on the Progressive Liberalisation of Services.

In preparation for the Multi-Sectoral Council of Ministers, the High Level Task Force (HLTF) on EAC Common Market had a session from 31 January to 5 February 2011 in Bujumbura. The Permanent Secretaries session is running from 7 – 8 February and the Ministerial Session is on 9 to 10 February 2011.

While addressing the opening session of the Permanent Secretaries today at the Source Du Nil Hotel in Bujumbura, the EAC Deputy Secretary General (Planning and Infrastructure), Mr. Alloys Mutabingwa highly commended the HLTF for the dedication, focus and expertise it had exhibited throughout its deliberations despite the challenging nature of the issues it had been tasked to handle.

Mr. Alloys Mutabingwa said the HLTF had worked very hard on pending issues and most of them had been resolved and the report that consolidates all the key policy issues and recommendations had been prepared for the Permanent Secretaries to consider.

The Deputy Secretary General reiterated that the guiding principle in working out the remaining Annextures was to fully align and adapt Partner States’ national laws and regulatory framework to the Common Market Protocol provisions. “Putting limits to such re-alignments shall impair the effectiveness we need in operationalizing the Protocol, our appeal to this session is to see how such hurdles can be removed,” asserted Mr. Mutabingwa.

Mr. Mutabingwa informed the session that the ordinary citizens (Mwananchi) in East Africa was still waiting to see the immediate benefits of the Common Market. “For example the time when the Mwananchi will be allowed to cross borders without using the ordinary passport. Can we determine when all countries should have developed and ready to use electronically readable ID cards instead of passports?, wondered the EAC Executive.

The Deputy Secretary General requested further that the Permanent Secretaries’ session sets specific deadlines for handling any matter that may appear to be requiring more work for example the additional commitment on the free movement of workers.

He said there was need to issue directives that seek to regulate professions that had been committed but are yet to be regulated and also the issue of setting common benchmarks to be used in seeking recognition of foreign academic qualifications.

Mr. Mutabingwa said these were some of the policy issues that determine whether the Common Market being taken forward was indeed people-centred.

The 11th Summit Meeting of EAC Heads of State adopted a Post Negotiations Programme, which among others, tasked the HLTF to continue negotiations on a number of pending annexes. In this regard, the HLTF has held a series of meetings commencing in Nairobi (3 – 11 May 2010), then Kampala (14 – 23 June 2010), Mwanza (12 – 23 July 2010), Kigali (13 – 20 September 2010) and finally Bujumbura (31 January – 5 February 2011).

For more information please contact: Owora Richard Othieno, Head of Department; Corporate Communications and Public Affairs; Tel:             +255 784 835021      ; Email: othieno@eachq.org

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The Prime Minister, Prof. Apollo Nsibambi says that the government through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development had placed a hold on issuing out licences to first ensure there is adequate legal regime in place.

Nsibambi was delivering an address on behalf of President Yoweri Museveni at the ongoing 5th East African Petroleum Conference and Exhibition (EAPCE’11) at Serena Hotel in Kampala.

He said the government had finalised the oil and gas policy, as well as fine turning legislation on handling of oil revenues which will ensure orderly prospecting, exploitation and development of Uganda’s oil and other natural resources.

oil drilling in western Uganda

The government, he says will in June 2011 advertise for bids from companies interested in prospecting for oil in different oil blocks identified by the government mineral surveys.

Uganda has confirmed commercially viable oil deposits in the Albeterine graben rift of mid western Uganda, and Tullow oil is working with the government to start commercial oil production.

The President said the East Africa Community member countries had agreed to jointly prospect and exploit their oil and gas resources.

He says that as Uganda prepares to construct an oil refinery, agreements have already been reached with EAC member countries Kenya Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda to extend the oil pipeline there.

Museveni says although only Uganda has so far confirmed commercially viable oil deposits (about 2.5 billion barrels), oil exploration efforts in Kenya, Tanzania Burundi and Rwanda have intensified so that the five EAC countries can jointly exploit their resources.

The three day conference that has attracted oil and oil servicing companies and entrepreneurs from different parts of the world is being held under the theme: “Harnessing East Africa’s Oil and Gas Potential and utilizing the Resources to Create Lasting Value.”

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