The East African Community Budget for the Financial Year 2010/2011 was presented today Thursday 27 may 2010 to the East African Legislative Assembly at its 5th Meeting-3rd Session taking place at the Municipal Council Chamber, Mombasa, Kenya, by the Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers and Minister for East African Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania, Hon. Dr. Diodorus Buberwa Kamala (MP).

Before tabling the Budget to the fully packed Session Chaired by Hon. Abdirahin Haithar Abdi, the Speaker of the Assembly; the Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers hailed the Excellencies EAC Heads of State for their leadership and guidance that have enabled the Community to move from Customs Union to a Common Market stage scheduled to start on 1st July 2010.

Hon. Dr. Kamala asserted that the Community was now united and stronger than at any other time in history, adding that “EAC is currently the role model of regional integration in Africa and beyond”.

 

The Chairperson of EAC Council of Ministers commended Members of EALA for the oversight role that they do exercise for the betterment of the Community and their quest to speed up the process towards widening and deepening the integration process. “This August House has provided good inputs in EAC budgeting process by insisting on realization of value for money and investing every shilling in EAC priority areas”, affirmed the Minister.

Themed Operationalizing the Common Market and Laying the Foundation for a Monetary Union, the East African Community budget for the Financial Year 2010/2011 focuses on 24 priority areas that include; conclusion of EAC Regional Policy, finalization of the 4th EAC Development Strategy and Information and Communication Strategy; consolidation of the Customs Union; operationalizing of the EAC Common Market; tabling to the EALA such Bills required for the implementation of the Common Market; tabling to the EALA Bills on Counterfeits and Piracy, One Stop Border Posts, HIV and AIDS and Public Private Funding of Infrastructure Projects; setting the ground and launching the negotiations of the EAC  Monetary Union; and strengthening the integration of Rwanda and Burundi to the Community.

Other areas are launching and implementing the East African Food Security and Climate Change Policy; providing the forum for consultations between the Private Sector, Civil Society Organizations, other interest groups and appropriate institutions of the Community; intensification of programmes on infrastructure development; enhancement of capacities in the Productive and Social Sectors; formulation of Gender Policy, Youth Policy, Community Development and a Policy on Persons with Disabilities; preparation of Strategic Plan on Gender, Children, Youth and Women on Social Economic Development; opertaionalizing Article 122 of the EAC Treaty that seek to enhance the role of Women in Business; formulation of the Civil Society Mobilization Strategy in regional integration and completion of the Industrialization Policy and Strategy; as well as the Investment Strategy.

 

Deepening co-operation in Defence, Security and Political matters; promotion of sustainable management and utilization of Environment and Natural Resource; enhancing the implementation of the Lake Victoria Development Programmes; continuation of the construction of the EAC Headquarters; conclusion of the EPA negotiations; conclusion of the Tripartite Free Trade Area arrangements of COMESA-EAC and SADC; enhancement the capacity of Inter University Council for East Africa towards realization of a better working East Africa Education System; and putting in place the EAC-Development Fund are also the priority areas of focus in the EAC Budget Estimates for 2010/2011.

 

The EAC Budget estimates for the Financial Year 2010/2011 totals US$ 59,963,040. The Budget exceeds the previous year’s Budget by 11%. The EAC Budget for the Financial Year 2009/2010 was US$ 54, 257,291. The summary of the 2010/2011 Budget is as follows: Personnel Emoluments US$ 17, 500,729 (29 % of the total Budget), Recurrent Budget US$ 19,744,589 (33% of the total Budget), and Development Budget US$ 22,717,722 (38% of the total Budget)

 

The Budget is allocated to the Organs/Institutions as follows: East African Community Secretariat: US$ 26,836,651; Defence Liaison Unit: US$ 910,244; Customs and Trade: US$ 3,696,411; East African Legislative Assembly: US$ 10,520,361; East African Court of Justice: US$ 2,841,777; and Lake Victoria Basin Commission: US$ 15,157,596.

 

The Budget is to be financed by contribution from Partner States of US$ 30,748,369; development partners’ contribution totalling US$ 29,141,051; and Miscellaneous Income of US$ 73,620.

 

The Members of EALA are scheduled to debate the Budget from Tuesday 1st June 2010 at the Municipal Council Chamber, Mombasa, Kenya.