{The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) will start its plenary sitting in Kigali next week from November 22 to December 4. It is the Third Meeting of the Fourth Session of the Third Assembly.}
Among the sessions to be held will be a special sitting where President Paul Kagame will address the Assembly.
Two key bills on the table at the EALA meeting are the EAC Disaster Risk Reduction Bill 2013 and the EAC Forestry Management Bill 2014.
The latter seeks to promote the development, protection, conservation, sustainable management and use of the forests in the Community especially trans-boundary forests ecosystems. It further wants to espouse the scientific, cultural and socio-economic values of forests and harmonize national forest laws.
The Assembly adjourned debate on the Forest Management and Protection Bill at its last Sitting in Nairobi in October 2015. The adjournment at Committee stage followed the successful motion tabled by the chairman of EAC Council of Ministers, Harrison Mwakyembe, seeking for more time to enable Tanzania to give its input.
He explained the House that the October elections in Tanzania would put the debate on hold until a new government is in place.
EALA Sittings are held under the principle of rotation in line with Article 55 of the EAC Treaty. Its last sitting took place in Nairobi, Kenya in October 2015.
EALA meets at least once in every year at its headquarter in Arusha.
The EAC Disaster Risk Reduction Bill 2013 seeks to provide a legal framework for intervention and assistance for people affected by climate change and natural related hazards and to protect the natural environment through integration of comprehensive disaster risk reduction and management practices in the EAC.
Debate on the Bill, moved for second reading in August 2013, was halted following a request by the Council of Ministers to consult and consider its policy implications. The Council further called for the taking over of the Bill for appropriate amendment and re-introduction as a Council of Ministers’ Bill.
At the same time, the move was to allow the ratification of the EAC Protocol on Peace and Security which among other objectives, provides for co-operation in DRR management and crisis response.
One-stop border posts
During the plenary sittings, the House is also expected to examine a number of reports. They include that of the Committee on Accounts for the Audited Financial Statements of EAC for the financial year ended June 30, 2014 and the report by the Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources on the sensitization workshop on standards by the African Organization of Standardization (ARSO).
The report of the Committee on Communication, Trade and Investment on the on-spot assessment of one-stop border posts in the EAC is also expected to be tabled and debated.
In addition, the Committee on Legal, Rules and Privileges shall table its report on the implementation of resolutions and questions of the Assembly and council commitments.
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