
The East African Legislative Assembly is seeking autonomy from
the Secretariat in an effort to deal with delays in procurement and to
control its budget.
Last month, a committee was set up
by the EAC Council of Ministers to look at the dynamics in the
Secretariat and EALA that would ease their work.
It is expected to hand its report to the Council by February 2019.
Julius Maganda, Uganda minister of state for East African affairs and the chair of the council of ministers, told The EastAfrican in Bujumbura that autonomy would ensure that neither of the institutions undermined the other.
The
committee is composed of three technical experts: One from the office
of the EALA clerk, one from the Secretary General’s office and an
independent expert from outside the Secretariat.
This
came after a request from EALA to create autonomy citing a lot of delays
mainly in procurement which are said to be hindering the regional
assembly’s business.
The Commonwealth Parliament along which the EALA is modelled, is autonomous.
“This
would give EALA the necessary leverage to execute its oversight role,
which, in the current circumstances, is difficult,” said George Odongo,
an EALA member from Uganda.
Integrity
According
to Mr Odongo it is a practice in member states to protect the integrity
of the parliament and the executive, and yet provide the necessary
leverage for parliament to exercise its oversight role.
The
regional Council of Ministers and the Summit approved the assembly’s
request but there was a plan that the secretariat was supposed to
review, in order come up with modalities for the autonomy.
Should
the regional assembly becomes independent, in a much as the budget will
be prepared by the secretariat, it will not be subjected to making
requisitions for the its programmes and activities as it will be
self-accounting.
“This matter is being considered by
both EAC secretariat and the council because we are still limited by the
treaty, EAC rules and Regulations and also lack of staff to handle key
functions such as procurement,” said the EAC Secretary General Liberat
Mfumukeko.
The East African Legislative Assembly and
the East African Court of Justice are the two organs of the community
seeking autonomy.
According to the council of ministers
the move will reduce the backlogs on the side of SG’s office to create
efficiency in the operations of the two organs.
Last
month a memo to the Secretary General from the EALA clerk Kenneth Madete
indicated that the third meeting of the 2nd session was postponed due
to liquidity challenges.
The letter indicated that the
postponing of the sitting was caused by the delays in remittance of
funds by the partner states as such the assembly did not have sufficient
funds to facilitate implementation of the aligned activities.
Burundi,
South Sudan and Uganda are the member states having arrears of the
financial year 2017/2018 of $6,254,494, $7,371117 and $497330
respectively, the overall budget performance of the East African
Community for the Financial year 2016/2017 was at 62% receiving $70
million of the $106 million.
According to the EAC
report delays in remittances of contributions from member states have
been a major concern that resulted to the suspension of East African
Community projects in the last financial year, with only 39% of the
contribution for the financial year 2016/2017 was received by December
2016.
- The EastAfrican
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