KIGALI - President Paul Kagame has requested lawmakers to take another look at the Immigration and Emigration Bill.
The President proposed the amendment of the bill so that binding elements within international treaties of integration are considered in the legislation.

In an Interview with The New Times, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament in charge of Political Affairs, Denis Polisi, noted that the Presidential request to amend the law is mainly aimed at enabling the free movement of people in the context of regional integration.

"The President requested that we align the bill to some international treaties to which Rwanda is a signatory, within the Immigration and Emigration law,” said Polisi.
He added that; "Rwanda joined the East African Community and signed the Common Market Protocol which allows the free movement of people. It is in this sense that we need to consider it in the laws that we are passing.”

In a bid to fully realize the Common Market Protocol, all member states of the bloc are required to align their governance systems and structures to the provisions of the protocol and this includes amending the immigration laws.

If Parliament approves the Presidential proposals on the bill, Rwanda will be the first country in the region to align its immigration and emigration law with the bloc.

Meanwhile, Parliament is today expected to begin an extraordinary short term session where a number of bills will be revised including the Immigration Bill which is top on the agenda.

The parliament is also expected to scrutinize an inquiry report into alleged irregularities in the recent rehabilitation of the Parliamentary Buildings

The report was compiled by a probe team headed by MP Desire Nyandwi.

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