Rwanda, Burundi have 1 yr to adopt EAC rules
Rwanda and Burundi have up to a year to abide by the already existing East African Community rules, The New Times can report.This was revealed yesterday by a high-ranking official working at the EAC Secretariat, who preferred anonymity during an exclusive interview.
“As a tradition, they have up to one year to harmonise with the rules and the laws of the Community. It is really their task to do so,” said the official, who was attending a staff technical meeting at the Uganda Parliament.
Rwanda and Burundi both of which officially joined Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in the EAC on Monday must also elect their representatives to the East African Legislative Assembly within a year.
Kagame appended signature to EAC protocols at exactly 4:25 at Kampala Serena Hotel on Monday.
On Tuesday morning, the EALA Speaker, Abdirahin H. Abdi, said that Rwanda and Burundi would first meet certain requirements before fully coming on board. He also said that in the meantime, the Assembly would proceed without Rwanda and Burundi being represented, until after the transition period. But he was uncertain when the transition period would fold.
However, the EAC Secretariat official, who spoke to this reporter in Kampala, said the transition period would depend on the period the newcomers take to domesticate the Accession Treaty they signed on Monday.
“They will first domesticate the treaty; pass it into an Act so that it is law in the two countries. Their parliaments also must ratify the treaty. They will have to make their own rules on how to elect their legislators,” the official said.
But Lydia Wanyoto, Uganda’s legislator at the EA Assembly told The New Times recently the Secretariat hired a firm to expand the Assembly chambers to accommodate the Rwandan and Burundian legislators that are yet to be elected.
“They will have to wait until the chambers have been expanded to create more space. A firm has been hired to restructure the chambers to accommodate more 20 members; nine legislators and a minister in charge of East African Affairs from each of the new entrants,” she said.
Wanyoto added: “New facilities including interpreters for Rwandans and Burundians, who are also French-speaking, will also have to be installed first. New offices will also be created. The Secretariat must also come up with a proper work plan,” Wanyoto said in an interview at Uganda parliament.
Rwanda and Burundi’s entry into the EAC implies that they accept all agreements, laws and programmes accruing from the Community “as though they were part of the decision making process before”.
Their entry expanded the regional bloc’s market to over 115million people. Federation The EALA Speaker has also hinted that consultations on fast-tracking the political federation could be re-done or spread over a longer period to accommodate Rwanda and Burundi.
“It could be done afresh. It all depends on different factors. But we shall look at several issues. And obviously Rwandans and Burundians must be consulted on the process because they are now East Africans,” Abdirahin Abdi said.
The consultative process on fast-tracking the EAC political federation was launched in October last year. The six month consultations concluded at the end of June this year. However, at the just concluded Council of Ministers meeting, it was agreed that most East Africans were unaware of the Community’s benefits, programmes and activities.
“It was agreed that there is need for continuous sensitisation of the people of East Africa, with structured civic education concentrating on the Community and looking ahead to the federation as the ultimate goal,” the report of the Council to the summit read-in-part.
It adds: “Challenges facing the National Consultative Committees include their independence from the government, negative publicity from the events taking place at the East African Court of Justice and the tight schedule of six months.”
However, Wanyoto said the process of consultations on fast-tracking the political federation would be determined at the next extra-ordinary summit.
“We want a comprehensive arrangement of consultations that will accommodate Rwandans and Burundians. Even as EALA members, we were not included in the consultations,” she said.