Screening of EALA candidates kicks off Thursday

Parliament Speaker Rebecca Kadaga will constitute the verification committee 

Parliament will on Thursday constitute a verification committee chaired by the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga to screen credentials of the 46 nominated East African Legislature Assembly (EALA) candidates.

Parliament director of communication and public affairs, Chris Obore, said the verification committee is scheduled to commence its work of checking the authenticity of academic qualifications required, the aspirants' presented Curriculum Vitea (CVs), the 20 supporting signatures from current MPs in the 10^th Parliament backing their candidature and copies of their national IDs. 

"Parliament Speaker Rebecca Kadaga will constitute the verification committee and they will be approved by the House" Obore said.

Asked how the EALA voting exercise will be handled, Obore said the clerk to Parliament, Jane Kibirige, is the presiding officer mandated to conduct EALA elections.

He refuted some reports that the Electoral Commission, (EC) will hold the EALA elections.

"One of Parliament's role is to conduct EALA elections because the contestants are to be voted by MPs of the 10th Parliament who constitute the Electoral College, but not the, EC which is mandated to conduct public elections and referenda" Obore clarified.

Obore said that on February 15, nomination papers will be forwarded to the verification committee, to allow commencement of the verification exercise of the candidates.

"On Monday February 20, names of verified candidates will be submitted to the office of the clerk, on the same day, the name of the verified nominees, will be displayed" Obore explained.

Before the elections on February 28th, the candidates, according to Obore will be given time to campaign at Parliament.

After the elections, Parliament will on March 3, gazette or publish the list of names for the EALA MPs elect, before they are transmitted to the EALA clerk in Arusha Tanzania.

Last Thursday a total of 46 aspirants were dully nominated by Parliament to contest in the EALA race.

The 46 include 36 independents, six members of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), two for Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), one for the Uganda People's Congress (UPC) and the other for the Democratic Party (DP).

109 aspirants had initially picked nomination forms, however only 43 returned their forms at the end of the nomination exercise, which started on January 30.