Supplementary budget on agenda as Eala sessions resume

The East African Legislative Assembly (Eala), presided over by new Speaker Dan Kidega resumes business next week as it moves to clear a backlog accumulated last year when the House bickered over then Speaker. Holding its latest plenary in Arusha, Tanzania, from Monday to Friday next week, the Fourth Meeting of the Third Session of the Third Assembly, will among others, consider the bloc’s supplementary budget for the Financial Year 2014/2015 as one of the key issues on top of the agenda. During his recent acceptance speech, Kidega underscored the need to clear the pending bills and backlog. “My administration will move with haste to tackle the backlog and introduce new business for the Assembly. The Council of Ministers have also assured me of their support and we expect a number of Council Bills to be brought forth for deliberation this year,” Kidega said. Also on the cards at the forthcoming sitting is the election of Committee chairs and the Eala Commission, the decision making body of the Assembly, following the expiry of its tenure last year. Another key bill expected before the House is the EAC Co-operatives Societies Bill, 2013, which aims at providing a legal framework for Co-operative Societies in line with Article 128 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC. The Bill, now at the stage of its second reading, lays down objectives of Co-operative Societies which include; solving problems collectively, co-ordinating knowledge and skills and promoting self-reliance, amongst members. Several other matters, earlier delayed due to the protracted wrangles will be looked at, including the debate and adoption of a number of key reports. The report of the Committee on Legal Rules and Privileges on the Rules of Procedure is also to be tabled. The Rules of Procedure were first adopted by the first Assembly on November 28, 2001. They were amended in 2008, mainly, to cater for the expanded membership of the Assembly, following the admission of Burundi and Rwanda. Eala MPs, on several occasions in the recent past, expressed the need to amend certain provisions of the Rules either for purposes of providing clarity, consistency and/or practicability; or to take into consideration of new developments over the years. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Supplementary budget on agenda as Eala sessions resume