Eala to start business Monday after Kenya elects nine reps

East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) members chatting before a sitting at the Rwanda Parliament hall on March 7, 2017. Eala will swing back to business Monday, December 18, 2017 after Kenya elected its nine representatives on Thursday. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Kenya became the last of the six East African Community partner states to elect its nine representatives on Thursday.

  • The third assembly wound up its tour of duty on June 4, 2017 and the fourth assembly was expected to have commenced the following day.

  • However by then, only parliaments of Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi had finalised the processes. 

ARUSHA

The East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) will swing back to business Monday, its officials confirmed Saturday.

Inauguration of the fourth assembly of the regional parliament has been delayed by the long electioneering period in Kenya but is now set for unveiling.

Kenya became the last of the six East African Community partner states to elect its nine representatives on Thursday, ending the six months delay.

“Top on the agenda during a week-long first sitting of the first session of the fourth assembly is the swearing-in of members,” said the Eala spokesperson Bobi Odiko in Arusha.

“There will also be election of the Speaker and that of members of Eala Commission as well as the constitution of various committees,” he added.

The nine elected nominees to Eala from Kenya are Simon Mbugua, Florence Jematiah, Mpuri Aburi, Aden Noor and Wanjiku Muhia. Others are Oburu Oginga, Kennedy Kalonzo, Abdikadir Aden and Fatuma Ibrahim.                                   

The third assembly wound up its tour of duty on June 4, 2017 and the fourth assembly was expected to have commenced the following day.

However by then, only parliaments of Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi had finalised the processes. 

The Transitional National Legislative Assembly of South Sudan, on its part, had to repeat its elections following an application filed at the East African Court of Justice by a citizen of the country, Mr Wani Salantino, challenging the process.   

Parliament revisited the issue and held fresh elections on August 3 before filing the names with Eala.

Parliament of Uganda was the first to elect members to the assembly on March 1.