The President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), H.E. Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira, on
Tuesday, October 22, led a PAP delegation to meet with H.E. William Ruto, President of Kenya, in his capacity as
Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Institutional Reforms. The discussion
centered on the critical role of PAP in advancing the AU reform agenda and
ensuring its efficiency.
In his address, Chief
Charumbira raised concerns about the fragmented structure of the AU, citing
challenges such as limited coordination between AU organs and Regional Economic
Communities (RECs), insufficient oversight, and poor accountability, which have
hindered the effectiveness of the AU's broader goals, including its Agenda 2063
vision. He emphasized the potential of PAP to play an instrumental role in
addressing these gaps through enhanced oversight and citizen engagement. He
argued that PAP, through its advisory and consultative powers, should be more
actively involved in overseeing AU organs, including budgetary matters, to
ensure the institution meets the needs of African citizens.
The institutional reforms, Charumbira noted, should aim to empower PAP, allowing it to act as
the "people’s voice" in the AU, ensuring greater transparency,
accountability, and responsiveness across the Union. This includes a more
direct reporting structure between PAP and the AU Assembly, as well as clearer
roles for its leadership structures, such as the PAP Bureau.
In response, President
Ruto acknowledged the dysfunctionality of the AU and echoed Charumbira’s calls for meaningful
reform. He committed to supporting PAP in its efforts to strengthen the AU’s
connection with the African people, improve oversight mechanisms, and address
the inefficiencies that currently plague the Union. Ruto emphasized the need for PAP’s role in scrutinizing the AU’s
budget and operational activities, asserting that effective oversight is
critical to achieving the goals of the reform agenda.
The PAP delegation, which included prominent officials
such as Hon. Lucia Dos Passos (3rd Vice President), Hon. Alhagie Mbow (Chairperson of the Western Caucus), and Hon. Steve Mikaya (Chairperson of the Committee
on Rules, Privileges and Discipline), along with members of Kenya’s own PAP
delegation including Hon. Danson
Mungatana, Hon. Rahab Mukami, and Hon.
Majimbo Kalasinga., highlighted key issues such as the operationalization
of PAP’s advisory role, budgetary constraints, and the importance of the PAP’s
oversight functions as outlined in the Sirte Protocol. Chief Charumbira stressed that despite the limitations of the
current Sirte Protocol, which gives PAP advisory rather than legislative
powers, the Parliament is still fully empowered to conduct oversight, engage
with civil society, and represent African citizens at the AU level
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