East African Legislative Assembly, Nairobi, Kenya: 30th November 2016: President Uhuru Kenyatta is challenging the East African Legislative Assembly to concert its efforts in ensuring the integration process is not only on course, but geared towards meeting the aspirations and high expectations of the people. The President is emphatic that the people of the region want nothing else but a Community that works for all and that is effective.
In this regard, the President is calling on the Assembly to up the stakes on thesensitisation process and on its consultations with legislative processes including engagement with the Partner States’ National Assemblies as envisioned under Article 65 of the Treaty of the Establishment of the EAC.
The
President’s remarks were delivered on his behalf by the Speaker of the
Senate, Rt Hon Ekwe Ethuro at the Special sitting of the 3rd Meeting of the 5th Session held at the Parliament Chambers (Senate) yesterday. In
attendance were EALA Members, former Members led by Speaker Emeritus,
Rt Hon Abdirahin Abdi and representatives of the Private Sector.The President noted the various achievements realised by the Communityto date.
“I
note with appreciation the progress that the Community has made to
date. Eleven (11) years ago, we established the EAC Customs Union. It
has generated positive results. This is clearly demonstrated by the
trend in intra-EAC trade over the period. For instance, the value of
the total intra-EAC trade rose from US Dollars 1.8 billion in 2004 to US
Dollars 5.1 billion US Dollars in 2015 representing a significant
growth of 190 percent”, he said.
The President hailed the business community whom he termed keen partners and drivers of the integration proces.
“I laud and commend them for their efforts in boosting our investment
profile and partnership in creating jobs for our people. We are
therefore duty-bound to support them in addressing the challenges they
face in conducting and expanding their businesses in the region”, he
added.
The
speech noted the various challenges the region continues to face.“There
still exists a considerable number of trade restricting measures that
are a hindrance to actualizing free trade in the EAC. Among the
obstacles, include long clearing procedures; road blocks and changes in
applicable regulations, which together, contribute to impact trade
negatively”, it said in part.
The
Head of State reiterated Kenya’s commitment to the integration process
and cited the infrastructure projects as keen in the integration
process.
“We
have every reason to take pride in what we have achieved in here in
Kenya. We have commenced work on the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and we
expect it to be operational by the middle of 2017. On-going development
works on the Port of Mombasa and regional roads confirms Kenya’s
commitment to building and achieving sound infrastructure for the
greater benefit of the region”, he said.
The President noted that EAC needed a strong oversight body and hailed the EALA for rising up to the occasion.
“For
example, among the notable achievements of this Assembly include the
passage of over 20 Bills cutting across various areas of integration.
The Assembly’s legislative priority and performance in the last four
years has indeed exhibited clear appreciation and understanding of
matters that are of great relevance and urgency in deepening and
widening the EAC integration”, the President remarked.
In
his remarks, the Speaker of EALA, Rt Hon Daniel F. Kidega, maintained
that citizens of the region were keen to see the process of integration
fortified.
“I
can confirm the Assembly is often inundated by citizens’ concerns to
see the Common Market agenda become a reality. Essentially, it is
important that we open our East African markets to African people and
beyond to
create jobs and opportunities. Likewise, we must
avoid situations where we export jobs and allow cheap goods from outside
the EAC to permeate the local markets”, Speaker Kidega noted.
The
Speaker noted the fight against Corruption needs to be taken a notch
higher in the Partner States. “At the regional level, EALA is on the
verge of enacting a Bill on Whistleblowers and on Anti-Corruption,
thereby, putting in place a legal framework to report instances of
corruption to authorities – given the fact that the vice knows no
borders”, he added.
The
Speaker termed matters of peace and security as of paramount importance
to the development in the region and further called for the fight
against terrorism to be sustained.
He
termed the approximation of the national laws in order to create
uniformity within the Partner States as necessary and called on the
Partner States to move with haste in the matter.
An
EALA Report adopted at the Sitting shows that Republics of Rwanda and
Uganda have each approximated ten pieces of laws each, Republic of Kenya
(6 laws), United Republic of Tanzania (6 laws) and Republic of Burundi
(3 laws). Approximation of National Laws is vital in line with the
Article 126 (2b) of the Treaty for the EAC is fundamental.
The Siting came to an end with the next plenary expected to be held in January in 2017.
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