The Assembly ended business on Thursday, May 26, 2011 passing the EAC Service Commission Bill 2010, approving the Financial Statement for the Financial Year 2011/12 and the revised estimates of expenditures for the previous year 2010/2011 among others.
Debate on the EAC Service Commission Bill 2010 resumed after adjournment the previous week. The EAC Council of Ministers had through Assistant Minister for EAC, Kenya, Hon Peter Munya, requested for adjournment on the debate for the EAC Service Commission Bill 2010, to enable for more consultations between the Council of Ministers with the initiator of the Bill and the Committee on Legal, Rules and Privileges.
The East African Community Service Commission 2010 for the organs and institutions of the Community shall be responsible inter alia for making recommendations to the Council of Ministers on appointments of all staff of the origins of the Community, terms and conditions of service; except where it is otherwise specifically provided for in the Treaty or in an Act of the Community.
Earlier on, the Deputy Minister of the East African Co-operation in the United Republic of Tanzania, Hon Dr. Abdullah Saadala, had in his Ministerial Statement urged the Assembly to hold debate on the Bill until completion of the process of the Institutional review at the EAC, so as to make the Bill timely. He however affirmed the EAC Council of Ministers’ unequivocal support for the Bill.
EALA Members however rose up in support of the Bill saying it was progressive and would help move the Community in the right direction.
The Bill in its original form was sponsored as a Private Members Bill by Hon. Dr. F.L.Masha, EALA MP.
The Assembly also passed a motion approving the Financial Statement for the Financial Year 2011/12. Also approved were the revised estimates of expenditures for the Financial Year 2010/2011 by the Committee of Ways and Means and the corresponding budgetary estimates for Financial Year 201/12 by the Committee of Supply.
The Budget was presented by the Assistant Minister for EAC, Kenya, Hon Peter Munya on behalf of the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers, Hon. Hafsa Mossi. The Minister suggested that the first measures in the coming financial year for the Community would aim at changing the legal and regulatory frameworks that are not conducive for the thriving of a single market in the region. The approved budget totaled $ 109,680,319, exceeding the previous 2010/11 approved budget ($ 32,025,876) by 41 per cent.
During debate, Members congratulated the Council of Ministers for a well presented budget that was well analysed and to a big extent, realistic.
The Committee on General Purposes (GPC) noted with appreciation the improvements in the overall budgeting process and hailed the EAC Secretariat for a job well done. The Committee also applauded the Council of Ministers for steadily steering the Community in the right direction.
The Chairperson of the GPC, Hon Sebtuu Nassor, noted the myriad challenges the EAC faced during the past financial year including inter alia the late disbursement of funds by the Partner States.
The Committee however stated that notable underutilization of budgets in some of the departments and directorates of the Community and the slow pace of decision making and reiterated the need for remedial measures.
The GPC emphasized the need for aligning priorities for absorption of funds and the capacity of departments to implement the activities to expectation.
The Committee further urged the Secretariat to appropriately forecast and to advise the region in times of economic and social crisis.
“This does not only refer to economic issues but the Secretariat could make an effort to do this across board with regard to weather and climate change issues, agriculture, livestock and all other such sectors that are subject to natural occurrences and phenomenon”, Hon Nassor said.
On tourism and wildlife development, the Committee was concerned by the slow pace towards attaining a single tourist visa and recommended to the Council of Ministers to consider issuance of a single visa as a priority by next year.
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