The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) is considering the Lake Victoria Basin Commission Bill (2019) with the aim of enacting the Lake Victoria Basin Commission Act which will be an act of the East African Community. The object of the Bill is to provide for the Lake Victoria Basin Commission as an institution of the Community and is premised on Chapter Nineteen of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community, particularly Article 114, under which the Partner States agreed to cooperate in the management of their water and marine resources, and specifically, to establish a body for the management of Lake Victoria.
The Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources of EALA is collecting views from the stakeholders on the Bill, which is accessible from both the Lake Victoria Basin Commission website www.lvbcom.org and the East African Community website www.eac.int.
Comments can be sent to the Clerk of EALA by 31st January 2020 using the following contacts for consideration by the Committee: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and copy to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Executive Secretary East African Community Lake Victoria Basin Commission Nyanza Regional Headquarters, 13th floor Owuor Otiende Road, Off Kenyatta Highway P.O. Box 1510 - 40100 Kisumu, KENYA E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 10th January, 2020: EAC Constitutional Experts are set to hold National Stakeholders Consultations for drafting the EAC Political Confederation Constitution from 14th to 20th January 2020, in Burundi.
The objective of the Consultations, which will be held in Bujumbura, Gitega, Ngozi and Makamba, is to obtain stakeholders’ views on their interest and other key issues that will better inform the drafting of a model Political Confederation and subsequently a Confederal Constitution in line with the principle of a people-centred Community.
East African Legislative Assembly, Kampala, Uganda: December 10th 2019: The 10th edition of the EAC Inter-Parliamentary Games (IPG) kicked off yesterday in Kampala, Uganda. To commence the twelve-day extravaganza was a football curtain raiser pitting an EAC Select Side featuring legislators from the Partner States’ Parliaments and the management of the East African Water and Sports Cultural Organization (EAWASSCA) in a thrilling encounter at the St Mary’s Kitende Stadium, Kampala.
The water body pipped the EAC legislators 2-1. In netball, the EALA legislators beat the water body managers 22-16. In the second curtain raiser soccer match involving staff members, EALA drew 1-1 with Parliament of Uganda, while the EALA netball team similarly drew 22-22 with EAWASSCA netball team.
Support to East African Market Driven and People Centred Integration East Africa (SEAMPEC) to focus on value addition and trade
Pandemic preparedness to continue to focus on the prevention of and response to infectious disease outbreaks of public health concern in the region
Implementation building on and expanding the scope of successful programme outcomes
The East African Community Secretariat and the EAC GIZ programme supporting East African Integration on behalf of the German Government, today signed an implementation agreement worth US$16 million for continuing support for EAC regional integration through their SEAMPEC and Pandemic Preparedness programmes.
The programmes are managed through the EAC-GIZ partnership to continue to grow regional economic and social integration which already has a significant impact in the region.
The SEAMPEC programme, through its multiple cross-cutting initiatives, takes a holistic approach to regional integration that encompasses civil society as well as the public and private sectors. Through targeted work in sectors including agro-processing, pharmaceuticals as well as services sectors such as tourism and ICT, SEAMPEC aims to facilitate the improvement of framework conditions to help create more competitive industries and cross border opportunities.
“GIZ and the Secretariat have been developing and managing key projects working with partners across the EAC region with a focus on making the Common Market, Customs Union and integration a reality.
Through the SEAMPEC programme many businesses and civil society organisations have all benefited from collaborating on the ground and high-level networking and coalition activities. We are proud to continue to implement programmes which are showing real results and bringing tangible benefits to the citizens of the EAC,” said Dr Mike Falke, GIZ Country Director for Tanzania and EAC.
Another US$3 million of the funding are going towards the ‘Support to Pandemic Preparedness in the EAC Region’ project, which started in March 2017 and entered its second phase in September 2019. This project is working closely with the EAC to implement the Regional Contingency Plan under the interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral One Health approach and to establish the discipline of risk and crisis communication in the region.
The project supports the EAC Secretariat in its coordinating and advisory role in the prevention and response to cross-border outbreaks. The project builds on important preparatory work and ensures that when pandemic health threats become a reality, EAC countries are in the best position to respond.
“Diseases such as Ebola and Dengue Fever are claiming lives and destroying livelihoods right now. High population density, increasing cross-border trade, climate change and many other factors increase the risk of spreading these infectious diseases. Being ready to respond and having the tools and expertise to be effective in emergency situations is crucial,” said Irene Lukassowitz, GIZ project manager. Following a successful cross border field simulation exercise between Kenya and Tanzania in June 2019, another field simulation exercise at the border between South Sudan and Uganda in 2020 will prepare the region even better.
“Germany's development cooperation, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union (EU), has to date contributed to the regional integration in East Africa through a variety of programmes and projects aimed at building up regional expertise and value adding to trade, industrial development, innovation and investment. GIZ has been working with the EAC for over 20 years, building capacities and expertise at the EAC Secretariat and for regional stakeholders.
SEAMPEC and the Pandemic Preparedness programme already have many achievements, and by continuing to grow these initiatives and invest in their successes we are confident that real EAC development is happening,” said Dr Kirsten Focken, GIZ Cluster Coordinator.
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Contacts: Dr Kirsten Focken SEAMPEC Programme Manager This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
East African Court of Justice Arusha 6th December 2019: The East African Court of Justice warmly congratulates Hon Justice Dr Faustin Ntezilyayo, Deputy Principal Judge of the First Instance Division, upon his new appointment as the Chief Justice of Rwanda and will be replacing His Lordship Justice Prof Sam Rugege who has retired.
The EAC Heads of State summit appointed His Lordship Dr Ntezilyayo a judge to East African Court of Justice in April 2013 by and consequently he was designated the Deputy Principal Judge in July 2018, a position he still holds to date Justice.
…Clerk and Deputy Clerk served Assembly with due diligence
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, December 6th 2019: The East African Legislative Assembly late yesterday paid special tribute to the Clerk, Mr Kenneth Namboga Madete and the Deputy Clerk, Mr Alex Obatre Lumumba, upon completion of their tenure of service to the Community last week (on November 30th, 2019), for their dedicated service. The motion moved by Hon Paul Musamali commended the duo for their steadfast and loyal service to the Assembly and wished them well in their future endeavor.
Hon Musamali cited human resources as key to the Community and said both Mr Madete and Mr Lumumba had exemplified total commitment and dedication. “Due to the very nature of their work and because of their attitude and the value attached to the people they served, the accolades were deserving”, Hon Musamali said.
The legislator cited a number of achievements realized over the period the Clerk and his Deputy were at the helm.
The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany announced additional funds of US$128 million (EUR 115.8 million) today which will be supporting health and education programmes in the East African Community.
The majority of the funds (US$105 million [EUR 95 million]) will be going towards the EAC’s immunization programme with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The EAC Secretary General, Amb. Libérat Mfumukeko, and the Chargé d’Affaires of the Federal Republic of Germany, Jörg Herrera, jointly signed the Agreement in Arusha today.
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, December 5th 2019: A new Bill that will see access to essential medicines and promotion of the local pharmaceutical industry is set to be introduced. The Assembly has this afternoon granted EALA Member, Hon Francine Rutazana, leave to introduce the Bill entitled the East African Community Pharmaceuticals Bill, 2019.
The Bill shall among other things, aims to promote and boost medicines and pharmaceuticals produced in the EAC region, regulate good manufacturing practices and quality standards and ensure the mutual recognition of registration of medicines.
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, December 5th 2019: As the region puts out all its arsenal and explores modalities of containing the Ebola and Dengue viruses, the East African Legislative Assembly has stepped up to adopt the Report of the Committee on General Purpose on the oversight activity assessing levels of preparedness of Partner States in management of the epidemics.
The House in its debate has reiterated need for the Council of Ministers to develop an EAC Policy on the management of communicable diseases in the region and to strengthen collaborative engagement with key stakeholders. In effect, the Assembly wants further collaboration with stakeholders such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the German Technical Co-operation (GiZ) to enhance oversight in the promotion of the health sector in the region.
East African Legislative Assembly, Arusha, December 5th 2019: The East African Legislative Assembly is moving to expedite the development of the EAC Climate Change Bill in order to introduce it in the House for debate. As the rains continue pounding and causing havoc in many parts of the region, the Council of Ministers is been urged to urgently establish an emergency response fund to assist victims of floods and other environmental funds.
A resolution moved by Hon Kim Gai Ruot captures the essence of the dangers currently faced in the region saying there are inadequate resources and capacities set aside to effectively prevent disasters both at country level and sub-regionally. The Motion also underscores the need for education and public awareness as essentials that are supportive of community participation and vital in disaster preparedness and management.
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY
