Expedite climate change Bill, legislators tell EAC Ministers

Friday 17^th May 2019: As the rains continue pounding in many parts of the region, following a prolonged season of heat, the Assembly is calling for a Bill on Climate change, terming the phenomenon as one of the greatest threats to global security. EALA Member, Hon Dr Woda Odok Jeremiah, termed Climate change, a phenomenon with no respect for borders and an existential challenge to humanity, as she moved a resolution urging EALA to expedite the introduction a suitable Bill on Climate Change.

The resolution which received overwhelming support on the floor of the House, avers that Council of Ministers in 2011, adopted the East African Community Climate Change Policy way back in 2011 aimed addressing the adverse effects of climate change and providing strategies for responding to its negative impact both at national and regional levels.  Thereafter, the Council of Ministers embarked on a requisite Bill to guide Partner States on implementation of collective measures to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, a move that is yet to come to fruition.   According to Dr Odok, the delay in presenting the Bill to the House for debate and enactment is constraining and frustrating Community efforts to deal with the adverse effects of climate change. Further, the population of the region suffers high poverty levels coupled with low adaptive capacities and the livelihoods of both urban and rural populations. The resolution echoes that EAC Partner States’ economies are generally dependent on climate sensitive natural resources and that a solution to address the matter is now long overdue.

Supporting the Resolution, Hon Dr Oburu Oginga said food production was hampered by unpredictable weather.

“Weather patterns have changed drastically and have become very unpredictable, said the legislator.  “This has affected the planting seasons and has continues to wreak havoc in the region and beyond”, he added. Hon Dr Oginga said the cyclone idai that hit Mozambique and threatened to hit Tanzania and some parts of Kenya was devastating.  He further informed the House that though only 25% of Kenya was arable land, human competition and other activities in the area remained detrimental to forest cover.

Hon. Josephine Lemoyan said no single Partner State had the capacity to control Climate Change, “I am fully in support of the idea to have collective efforts in addressing the matter”.

Hon. Mary Mugyenyi reiterated that issues of Climate Change are real and need to be addressed with the seriousness it deserves while Hon. Simon Mbugua reminded the House of the effects of human activities such as logging and the depletion of forest cover which attributed largely to climate change. “Mr Speaker, I think it is important for the Council of Ministers to expedite the process of finalisation of the Bill”, Hon Mbugua, who doubles up as Chair of the EALA Chapter, Kenya maintained.

Other contributors were Hon. Uwumukiza Francoise, Hon. Dr. Abdullah Makame, Hon. Eng. Habib Mnyaa, Hon. Fatuma Ibrahim Ali and Hon. Sophie Nsavyimana.  Hon. Christophe Nduwayo, Hon. Thomas Dut Gatkek, and Hon. Abdikadir Omar Aden also rose in support of the Bill. The Chairperson, Council of Ministers, Hon. Olivier Nduhungirehe assured the House of the Council of Ministers’ intention to finalise the Bill.

-Ends-

__________________________
For more Information, contact:

Bobi Odiko,

Senior Public Relations Officer;

East African Legislative Assembly;

Tel: +255-27-2508240 Cell: +255 787 870945+254-733-718036;

Email:   bodiko@eachq.org

Web: https://www.eala.org Arusha, Tanzania

and Ms Joy Makena,

Cell: +255-685-490038,

Email: joy.makena94@gmail.com