Eala is back on track, you can count on us - Speaker

For the bigger part of last year, the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) dominated the news for all the wrong reasons. Bickering between the former Speaker, Margaret Zziwa, and some members slowed down business in the House to a near halt. In an interview with James Karuhanga, the new Speaker, Daniel Kidega, assures East Africans that the worst is now over and the regional assembly is back on track to deliver on its mandate. The House spent most of its time in the past months in wrangles with the former Speaker. How big is the backlog of unfinished business? The leadership crisis occasioned by the removal of the Speaker from Office significantly affected our work although ideally, it should not have. If you study the Rules of Procedure that govern Eala, you will appreciate the fact that they provide for the removal of the Speaker, much in the same way as the election process is provided for. It is thus very much a democratic right of the members. It should and can be handled in a smoother way. But that said, there are a number of pending Bills and related Reports which we need to prioritise. Pending Bills include the EAC Co-operative Societies Bill, 2013; East African Community Trade Negotiations (Repeal) Bill, 2014; The EAC Electronic Transactions Bill, 2014; The EAC Education (Integration) Bill, 2014 and the EAC Cross Border Legal Practice Bill, 2014. What are some of those important duties that remained untouched? Generally, we were not as efficient in the passage of Bills as we would have wished to be. If you were to compare the number of Bills passed by the second Eala at mid-life, (two and a half years) and the performance of the third Eala during the same period, then you will realise that we slightly lag behind. The second Eala passed 15 Bills yet we have managed only 10. The year 2014 goes down in history as the one in which we passed the least number of Bills (only three) and these were all Statutory bills on Appropriation. The mandate of representation and oversight was also affected. The citizens of East Africa did not feel much of the Assembly’s impact last year. We could have done much better in our oversight programmes. It was a difficult year for the Assembly, but all is not lost. Now that the past is behind us, we need to forge ahead. So what is the quick road map to reduce the backlog? I shall emphasise teamwork and a collegiality spirit so we can spur finalisation of pending Bills. With it comes the need to speedily introduce new Bills. Already, the Council of Ministers has assured us of at least four Bills this calendar year. I have taken stock and noted that there are 15 meetings left to the end of our mandate in 2017. With the support of my colleagues and the Council of Ministers, I am sure that we can pass at least one key Bill per Meeting. If we do so, then we shall have passed 15 Bills at minimum and this would put us back on good stead. Beyond that, another quick fix is to immediately engage with other stakeholders, including the private sector and the civil society to ensure they regain the confidence in our Assembly. My vision is to see us become more visible in the representative and oversight functions. I would like to see a more vigilant Assembly that is solution oriented and one that fully stands with the citizens of East Africa. What’s going to be your priority? Three main areas: (a) Reconciliation and re-uniting the Assembly: This is key so that we enhance teamwork and a unified and cordial environment. (b) Re-constructing and revamping the image of EALA which suffered a battering in the last few months. I want to emphasise and re-assure all stakeholders that we are now on the right track and committed to undertaking our mandate. (c) Taking Eala to the people: This shall be done by engaging the media as the vehicle and channel for outreach activities and by enhancing linkages with the civil society and the private sector. I would be happy to see us use every opportunity available to sell the integration agenda far and wide. How, exactly, are you going to restore the image that was tainted by the wrangling? I am already reaching out to various stakeholders in a bid to heal any gaping wounds that may have been occasioned by the rift. This is not only going to be across the membership, but also among the staff, as well as other interested stakeholders in the Community. I am offering myself as the bridge that shall bring everyone together to inculcate unity and harmony. This is one of the key priorities of my first 100 days in office. I pledge to have an open door policy and to be receptive to ideas. As I indicated in my acceptance speech on December 19th, 2014, I shall give the majority their way but respect and protect the rights of the minorities at all times. How big is the task ahead? It is a herculean task ahead given the fact that we have to catch up with lost time and that all eyes shall be focusing on us. Nevertheless, it is not one that is insurmountable. As a matter of fact, we are equal to the task. We are determined and believe that with team work and co-operation we shall deliver on the integration promise. We are optimistic that we shall deliver. In any case, East Africans expect nothing less than upfront delivery. I maintain that the worst is over and we are now on a new slate. Your final word to East Africans out there? Let us keep hope alive. The integration process is the best thing that ever happened to our region. That said, I assure East Africans that EALA is back on track and that it will continue to fully serve their interests.

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Eala is back on track, you can count on us - Speaker