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- Jan 20, 2016
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Delegations from Rwandan and Ugandan governments arrived in the northern Tanzanian city of Arusha to bolster Martin Ngoga's campaign for speakership of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).
Names of the Rwandan delegation could not be readily established but the Ugandan delegation is led by the state minister for East African Affairs Julius Maganda Wandera.
The delegations arrived after the members of the regional Parliament had received phone calls from the presidencies of the two countries countering similar efforts by the Tanzanian presidency.
Tanzania is marketing Adam Kimbisa for the coveted job. Kimbisa, the former mayor of Dar es salaam, joined the race of Saturday together with Burundi's former minister for EAC Affairs Leontina Nzeyimana.
The speaker will be elected on Monday, December 15, after the swearing in of the 54 members of the 4th assembly.
By the close of business on Sunday, Museveni and Kagame's efforts seemed to have won Ngoga the support of all the EALA members from Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and South Sudan.
One the other hand, Burundian and Tanzanian representatives appeared divided. There are reports that the two countries had agreed to back Kimbisa's candidature. Ugandan representatives are preparing a motion to block Kimbisa from contesting.
According Fred Mukasa Mbidde (Uganda), Article 53 of the EAC treaty and Rule 6 of the EALA Rules of Procedure are emphatic on the principle of electing a speaker on a rotational basis.
"Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda served their rotation, it is therefore extremely incomprehensible that anyone from the United Republic of Tanzania would seek to vie for speakership," Mbidde said.
In fronting a candidate, Tanzania argues that at the time it held the speakership in 2002, the community had not expanded from its original three member states to its current number of six.
But Mbidde, who is expected to move the motion says that the principle of sovereign equality and equal opportunities espoused under Article 3 of the EAC treaty requires Tanzania to wait for its turn after the new entrants to the community, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan have served their rotation.
While Burundi is eligible to present a candidate under the principle, Nzeyimana is being rejected because the secretary general of the EAC is a Burundian.
"Having a speaker and the secretary general from try will kill the principle of separation of powers, there is no way you can expect the assembly to perform its oversight role on the administrative arm of the secretariat and that is why we think Burundi should wait for its turn in the next assembly," Mathias Kasamba (Uganda) said.
Meanwhile the Uganda Chapter has elected Goerge Odong as its chairman and also endorsed the candidature of Kasamba to chair the committee on agriculture, tourism and natural resources while Mbidde and Susan Nakawuki are for the commission.
sadabkk@observer.ug
Names of the Rwandan delegation could not be readily established but the Ugandan delegation is led by the state minister for East African Affairs Julius Maganda Wandera.
The delegations arrived after the members of the regional Parliament had received phone calls from the presidencies of the two countries countering similar efforts by the Tanzanian presidency.
Tanzania is marketing Adam Kimbisa for the coveted job. Kimbisa, the former mayor of Dar es salaam, joined the race of Saturday together with Burundi's former minister for EAC Affairs Leontina Nzeyimana.
The speaker will be elected on Monday, December 15, after the swearing in of the 54 members of the 4th assembly.
By the close of business on Sunday, Museveni and Kagame's efforts seemed to have won Ngoga the support of all the EALA members from Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and South Sudan.
One the other hand, Burundian and Tanzanian representatives appeared divided. There are reports that the two countries had agreed to back Kimbisa's candidature. Ugandan representatives are preparing a motion to block Kimbisa from contesting.
According Fred Mukasa Mbidde (Uganda), Article 53 of the EAC treaty and Rule 6 of the EALA Rules of Procedure are emphatic on the principle of electing a speaker on a rotational basis.
"Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda served their rotation, it is therefore extremely incomprehensible that anyone from the United Republic of Tanzania would seek to vie for speakership," Mbidde said.
In fronting a candidate, Tanzania argues that at the time it held the speakership in 2002, the community had not expanded from its original three member states to its current number of six.
But Mbidde, who is expected to move the motion says that the principle of sovereign equality and equal opportunities espoused under Article 3 of the EAC treaty requires Tanzania to wait for its turn after the new entrants to the community, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan have served their rotation.
While Burundi is eligible to present a candidate under the principle, Nzeyimana is being rejected because the secretary general of the EAC is a Burundian.
"Having a speaker and the secretary general from try will kill the principle of separation of powers, there is no way you can expect the assembly to perform its oversight role on the administrative arm of the secretariat and that is why we think Burundi should wait for its turn in the next assembly," Mathias Kasamba (Uganda) said.
Meanwhile the Uganda Chapter has elected Goerge Odong as its chairman and also endorsed the candidature of Kasamba to chair the committee on agriculture, tourism and natural resources while Mbidde and Susan Nakawuki are for the commission.
sadabkk@observer.ug