Arusha, Tanzania- March 16, 2026 - The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) in its hybrid Special Sitting of the Third Sitting of the 5th Assembly in Arusha today, witnessed a historic moment as Nine (9) elected EALA Members of Parliament from the Federal Republic of Somalia took oath as members of the East African Legislative Assembly. The Nine (9) new Members from the Federal Republic of Somalia that took oath include: Hon. Ilham Ali Gassar; Hon.Abdirahman Bashir Shariff; Hon. Amb Zahra Ali Hassan; Hon.Faisal Abdi Roble; Hon. Faduma Abdullahi Mohamud; Hon Fahma Ahmed Nur; Hon. Hussein Hassan Abdi Hussein; Hon. Abdisalam Hadliye Omar, and Hon. Amb. Abukar Abdi Osman.
Additionally, three (3) new Ministers responsible for EAC Affairs from the United Republic of Tanzania, The Republic of Rwanda and the Federal Republic of Somalia also took oath as Ex-Officio Members(without voting rights) of the East African Legislative Assembly as prescribed by Rule 5(4) of the EALA Rules of Procedure “That a member shall not sit in the Assembly before taking oath or affirmation of allegiance to the Treaty for the Establishment of East African Community”.
Among the new Miniters that took oath included Hon. Amb. Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, United Republic of Tanzania; Hon. Ali Mohamed Omar, State Minister for Foreign Affairs in charge of EAC Affairs, of the Federal Republic of Somalia; Hon.Yuta Kayetesi, the new Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in Charge of EAC Affairs, Republic Rwanda. The Minister in charge of EAC Affairs from the Democratic Republic of Congo was not available for oath-taking; therefore, the oath-taking was deferred to a new date to be established.
The oath was administered before The Rt. Hon. Joseph Ntakiritumana, The Speaker of EALA, marking Somalia’s full participation in the East African Community (EAC) integration process. The oath-taking signals Somalia’s full entry into EALA’s governance framework and reinforces a shared commitment to regional unity, security, and sustainable development through deeper economic integration.
