The Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala), Margaret Zziwa, was yesterday impeached by members of the Assembly after months of wrangling that disrupted the organ’s business.

Before the vote that saw the Speaker censured, MP Peter Mathuki (Kenya) said it had been a "very tedious” route and thanked members for standing in solidarity as they concluded investigations and reported back to the Assembly.

"To Honourable Margaret Nantongo Zziwa, there is nothing personal. We were looking at the bigger picture of the Community. We are writing history,” Mathuki said.

Zziwa’s compatriot MP Nusura Tiperu said: "I want the Speaker to know, wherever she is, that nobody hates her. But we love East Africa more. We have opted to say ‘enough is enough’ – it is time to move on.”

The Chairperson of the Council of Ministers, Tanzania’s Abdullah Saadala, maintained that the Council had all along respected the rule of separation of powers and the democratic exercise of Eala’s decision making.

"This is a very historical motion and without a word from the Council, it won’t be spicy. We will respect it and we’ll remain here as observers, and if necessary, chip in for the integration of East Africa,” Dr Saadala said.

Earlier in the morning, MPs first received and adopted a report of its Committee on Legal, Rules and Privileges on the findings into complaints previously leveled against Zziwa.

On December 2, a committee, chaired by MP Frederic Ngenzebuhoro (Burundi) was given 21 days to conclude the investigations and report to the Assembly.

The committee’s final report, a copy of which The New Times has seen, partly indicates that Zziwa constantly flouted and manipulated the Rules of Procedure with impunity to foster personal interests.

How the vote went

Before the House broke for 30 minutes to allow the Clerk’s office to prepare voting material, interim Speaker Chris Opoka (Uganda), announced that the vote was to be effected through a secret ballot to allow members to exercise their right without fear or favor.

Eala’s eight ex-officio members were not allowed to vote as per the EAC Treaty which only allows elected members to vote. For the motion to succeed, and pass, it required a two-thirds majority (not less than 30 MPs) of the 45 elected members of Eala.

With all Rwandan and Burundian representatives present, five from Tanzania, eight from Uganda (without Zziwa) and eight from Kenya, the quorum was full.

Eventually, out of the 39 MPs present, 36 were in favour of Zziwa’s impeachment, two against, and one abstention.

What next?

Immediately after results were declared, Joseph Kiangoi (Kenya) requested that the House should there and then move to start the process of finding a replacement.

"We want to take upon our responsibilities so that we do what East Africans expect of us. Many questions have been asked of us,” Kiangoi said, but his submission was successfully challenged by, among others, Dr Richard Sezibera, the EAC secretary-general, who sought permission to point out that since there was only one item on the day’s order paper, what follows would be the preserve of the Clerk.

The Deputy Clerk of Eala, Obatre Lumumba, informed MPs that House rules require that a 48 hours notice be respected before nominations are handed in.

The Assembly reconvenes today when the Ugandan chapter will hand in nominations before another vote decides which Ugandan MP presides over Eala for the remaining two-and-half term of Uganda’s mandate.

"The ball is now in the hands of Uganda Chapter members. The Clerk is going to give them nomination forms which must be returned after 48 hours. By Friday [tomorrow] noon, the House will resume to elect a new Speaker,” Abdul Karim Harelimana (Rwanda) told The New Times.Zziwa remains an Eala member, but will now be a back-bencher.

After Opoka adjourned the House, a sense of relief swept through the Assembly, with some MPs embracing and others chatting animatedly as they walked out.

The impeachment came a day after the East African Court of Justice kicked out Zziwa’s application to restrain the House from convening to vote on her impeachment.

The Third Eala elected Zziwa its first female Speaker in June 2012.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw