Rwanda takes over EALA speakership

Jun 15, 2017

Ngoga has been a member of the Third Assembly, whose term expired early this month.

Rwanda has designated a Speaker for the Fourth East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).

Martin Ngoga, a lawyer by profession, will steer the regional assembly once sworn in, according to Uganda's elected EALA member designate, Fred Mukasa Mbidde.

Ngoga has been a member of the Third Assembly, whose term expired early this month.

The Office of speakership is held on rotational basis by the East African Community member countries.

Uganda held the office during the third assembly. Ngoga will take over from Uganda's Daniel Kidega, who was the speaker from December 2014 to june 2017 after taking over from Margaret Zziwa of Uganda who held the same office from 2012 to 2014 and was removed for various reasons.

EAC member states comprise of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan. Each country elects nine members to the Assembly. However, south Sudan and Kenya are yet to elect their members.

Mbidde said the delay to constitute the Assembly is affecting the work of the regional assembly. "If not answered it may lead to a shut down of the community," he warned.

He said that the major pending  issue is actualization of the confederation that the Summit agreed on in the recent sitting.

The First Instance Division of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) had granted an interim ex parte parte order restrainingEALA from administering the oath of office, or otherwise recognising nominees from the Republic of South Sudan pending the hearing inter partes on Thursday (June 15, 2017).

Information from Arusha stated that an application was filed by Wani Santino Jada, a citizen of  South Sudan against the Attorney General of South Sudan, the Speaker of the Parliament of the same country and the Secretary General of the East African Community who are to be served with the ex parte order issued by the Court.

New EALA representatives from different EAC partner states were supposed to be sworn in on June 5, 2017, but Kenya was yet to elect its representatives.

Article 50 of the treaty for the establishment of the EAC  the National Assembly of each Partner States shall elect, not from among its members, nine members of the Assembly, who shall represent as much as it is feasible, the various political parties represented in the National Assembly, shades of opinion, gender and other special interest groups in that Partner State, in accordance with such procedure as the National Assembly of each Partner State may determine.

According to EACJ Wani Santino Jada who represented himself at the ex parte hearing said that on or about March 11, 2017, the President of the Republic of South Sudan appointed nine persons to represent the said Partner State in EALA was in violation of Article 50 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community.

He argued that, whereas the swearing-in of EALA MPs that was due to take place June 5,2017 at 2.30pm had since been deferred incidentally, it could nonetheless transpire before the hearing of the interim orders inter parties thus rendering the said Application nugatory.

Mbidde on Wednesday clarified that the government of South Sudan has withdrawn the list of members who were wrongly nominated and are going to conduct fresh elections.

This, he said, followed the intervention of Ngoga and himself. He said the two of them will assist South Sudan in drafting new rules of Procedure of Parliament and practical implementation of elections.  ENDS

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