The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) is a sub-organ of the larger East African Community, being the legislative arm of the Community. Members are sworn into five-year terms.
History Since colonial times, a number of organizations have sought to integrate the region of East Africa. During the Victorian Era, rail links were established, and a number of regional organizations, such as the East African Currency Board and the East African Court of Appeal were established. A new wave of agreements and organizations were launched during the mid-20th century.
The Treaty for East African Co-operation was signed in 1967, launching the East African Community. However, due to political differences and weak participation, the treaty was nullified in 1977, ending the East African Community.
Despite this, interest in further regional cooperation continued. On 14 May 1984, the East African Community Mediation Agreement was signed, which pledged to "explore and identify areas for future co-operation and to make arrangements for such co-operation". On 26 November 1994, representatives from Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania signed the Agreement for the Establishment of a Permanent Tripartite Commission, which established a commission to further cooperation among the three countries. On 29 April 1999, the Tripartite Commission completed its analysis on the prospects of regional cooperation, and the three countries signed an agreement to upgrade the Agreement to a treaty for 2000.
First Assembly (2001–2006) The East African Legislative Assembly was inaugurated on 30 November 2001 as the legislative arm of the newly revived East African Community. The Assembly met in Arusha, Tanzania, where the Tripartite Commission announced it would upgrade to a treaty. Abdulrahman Kinana, an Elected Member from Tanzania was unanimous elected the Speaker of the First Assembly. The First Assembly met until 2006.
Second Assembly (2007–2012) On 1 July 2007, Burundi and Rwanda joined the East African Community, and, therefore, the East Africa Legislative Assembly. Abdirahim Abdi of Kenya served the Speaker of the Second Assembly.
The elected members of the second EALA (2007–12) break down by political party as follows: Political party Burundi Kenya Rwanda South Sudan Tanzania Uganda TOTAL Independents or unspecified 5 9 N/A 9 23 Chama Cha Mapinduzi N/A 7 7 CNDD-FDD 4 N/A 4 KANU 2 N/A 2 CNDD 1 N/A 1 FORD Kenya 1 N/A 1 FORD People's Party 1 N/A 1 MRC 1 N/A 1 United Democratic Party N/A 1 1 UPRONA 1 N/A 1 Chama cha Umma Demokrati 1 N/A 1 1 3 Totals 9 9 8 N/A 9 8 45
+Elected Members of the East African Legislative AssemblyNameCountryPolitical PartyAbdirahim Haithar Haji AbdiKenyaCatherine N KimuraKenyaChristopher Dove NakuleuKenyaGervase Mathias Buluma Kafwa AkhaabiKenyaClarkson Otieno KaranKenyaSarah Talaso BonayaKenyaAugustine Loile Chemonges LotodoKenyaReuben Oyondi OyondiKenyaSafina Kwekwe TsunguKenyaGeorge Francis NangaleTanzaniaAbdullah Ali Hassan MwinyiTanzaniaKate Sylivia / Magdalena KambaTanzaniaWalid Aman KabourouTanzaniaFortunatus Lwanyantika MashaTanzaniaDidas John MassaburiTanzaniaSaid Gharib BilalTanzaniaSebtuu Mohamed NassorTanzaniaJanet Deo MmariTanzaniaMike SebaluUgandaLydia Wanyoto WanyotoUgandaDora Kanabahita ByamukamaUgandaDaniel Fred KidegaUgandaBernard MulenganiUgandaMugisha Oyera MuntuUgandaDan Wandera OgaloUgandaNusura Tiperu OmarUgandaUgandaFrancois BizimanaBurundiRegine KatabarumweBurundiLeonce NdarubagiyeBurundiFrederic NgenzebuhoroBurundiGeorgette NibitangaBurundiNzobonimpa ManasseBurundiBurundiBurundiBurundiAbdul Karim HarerimanaRwandaRwandan Patriotic FrontJames NdahiroRwandarepresentative for the disabledOdette NyiramirimoRwandarepresentative for civil societyPierre Damian HabumuremyiRwandaRwandan Patriotic FrontClaire KayirangwaRwandaRwandan Patriotic FrontPatricia HajabakigaRwandaRwandan Patriotic FrontJacqueline MuhongayireRwandaSocial Democratic PartyStraton NdikuryayoRwandarepresentative for youthValerie NyirahabinezaRwandarepresentative for women
Third Assembly (2012–2017) Margaret Zziwa of Uganda served as the speaker from 2012 to 2014. She was the first woman to head the regional assembly and defeated her only rival Dora Byamukama 27 votes to 18 in the first round and 33 votes to 12 in the runoff. She was succeeded by Daniel Kidega, who served from 2014 until the end of the Third Assembly in 2017.
+Elected Members of the East African Legislative AssemblyNameCountryPolitical PartyMargaret ZziwaUgandaDora ByamukamaUgandaDan KidegaUgandaFred Mbidde MukasaUgandaBernard MulenganiUgandaSusan NakawukiUgandaChris Opoka-OkumuUgandaMike SebaluUgandaNusura TiperuUgandaNancy AbisaiKenyaAbubakar Zein AbubakarKenyaSarah BonayaKenyaPeter MathukiKenyaMumbi NgaruKenyaSaole Ole NkanaeKenyaAbubakar OgleKenyaJoseph KiangoiKenyaJudith ParenoKenyaShy-Rose BhanjiTanzaniaAdam KimbisaTanzaniaAngela KizighaTanzaniaBernard MurunyaTanzaniaAbdullah MwinyiTanzaniaPerprtua NderakindoTanzaniaMakongoro NyerereTanzaniaIssa TaslimaTanzaniaMariam Ussi YahyaTanzaniaEmerence BucumiBurundiHafsa MossiBurundiIsabelle NdahayoBurundiLeonce NdarubagiyeBurundiMartin NduwimanaBurundiEmmanuel NengoBurundiJeremie NgendakumanaBurundiFrederic NgenzebuhoroBurundiYves NsabimanaBurundiChristophe BazivamoRwandaPatricia HajabakigaRwandaAbdulkarim HarelimanaRwandaJacqueline MuhongayireRwandaJames NdahiroRwandaStraton NdikuryayoRwandaValerie NyirahabinezaRwandaOdette NyiramilimoRwandaPierre Celesitin RwigemaRwanda
Fourth Assembly (2017–2022) The Fourth Assembly has a total of 62 members, of which each member state submits 9 elected members, and 8 ex-officio members. Its speaker is Martin Ngoga of Rwanda.
The following table lists the elected members of the Fourth Assembly of the East African Legislative Assembly: +Elected Members of the East African Legislative AssemblyNameCountryPolitical PartyMnyaa Habib MohamedTanzaniaNkuhi Fancy HajiTanzaniaMaryam Ussi YahyaTanzaniaKimbisa Adam OmarTanzaniaHasnuu Makame AbullahTanzaniaLugiko Happyness EliasTanzaniaMaghembe NgwaruTanzaniaMaasay Pamela SimonTanzaniaJosephine Sebastian LemoyanTanzaniaThoar Gatpan GideonSouth SudanJago Odok Woda JeremiahSouth SudanAnn Itto LeonardoSouth SudanGabriel Garang Aher ArolSouth SudanKim Gai Ruot DuopSouth SudanDeng Dut Gatkek ThomasSouth SudanGabriel Alaak Garang DiingSouth SudanDeng Nhial GaiSouth SudanAyason Mukulia KennedySouth SudanChristopher Opoka-OkumuUgandaSusan NakawukiUgandaFred Mukasa MbiddeUgandaGeorge Stephen OdongoUgandaDennis NamaraUgandaMusamali Paul MwasaUgandaKasamba MathiasUgandaRose Akol OkulluUgandaMary MugyenyiUgandaFlowrence Jematiah SergonKenyaJubilee PartyOburu OdingaKenyaNational Super AllianceNoor Mohamed AdanKenyaJubilee PartyWanjiku MuhiaKenyaJubilee PartySimon Mbugua NgangaKenyaJubilee PartyKennedy Musyoka KalonzoKenyaNational Super AllianceFatuma Ibrahim AliKenyaNational Super AllianceAden Omar AbdikadirKenyaNational Super AllianceAburi Mpuru LawrenceKenyaJubilee PartyPierre-Célestin RwigemaRwandaKalinda Francois XavierRwandaMartin NgogaRwandaRwandan Patriotic FrontJean Claude BarimuyaboRwandaAlex BahatiRwandaFrancoise UwumukizaRwandaFrancine RutazanaRwandaFatuma NdangizaRwandaOda GasinzigwaRwandaLéontine NzeyimanaBurundiMarie Claire BarikukiyeBurundiSophie NsavyimanaBurundiAlfred AhingejejeBurundi Mo-Mamo KarerwaBurundiJean-Marie MuhirwaBurundiPierre Claver RurakamvyeBurundiVictor BurikukiyeBurundiChristopher NduwayoBurundi The following table lists the ex-officio members of the Fourth Assembly of the East African Legislative Assembly: +Ex-Officio Members of the East African Legislative AssemblyNameCountryPolitical PartyIsabelle NdahayoBurundiFrancois KalindaRwandaPierre-Célestin RwigemaRwandaMaryam Ussi YahyaTanzaniaFred Mukasa MbiddeUgandaSusan NakawukiUgandaVacantVacant
Fifth Assembly (2022–2027) The Fifth Assembly was inaugurated on 19 December 2022, which included for the first time 9 members from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which had joined the EALA in March of that year. Joseph Ntakarutimana of Burundi was elected as speaker of the 63-member parliamentary body. In addition to the elected members, the fifth parliament included nine ex-officio members – one from each member nation, the secretary general, and the counsel – who serve as ministers of the East African Community Affairs. The following table lists the elected members of the Fifth Assembly of the East African Legislative Assembly: +Elected Members of the East African Legislative AssemblyNameCountryPolitical Party Jacqueline AmonginUganda Gerald Blacks SirandaUganda Veronica KadogoUganda James KakoozaUganda Paul Mwasa MusamaliUganda George Stephen OdongoUganda Dennis NamaraUganda Mary MugyenyiUganda Rose Akol OkulluUganda Mohame Juma NadraTanzania Shogo Richard MloziTanzania James Kinyasi MillyaTanzania Mashaka Khalfan NgoleTanzania Abdulla Hasnuu MakameTanzania Maghembe Jumanne Ng'waruTanzania Machano Ali MachanoTanzania Angela Charles KizighaTanzania Ansar KachwambaTanzania Gabriel Garang Aher ArolSouth Sudan Thomson Luke TenySouth Sudan Sadia James SebitSouth Sudan Deng GaiSouth Sudan Gai Rut KimSouth Sudan Kennedy Aysason MukuliaSouth Sudan Woda Jeremiah Odok JagoSouth Sudan Ann Itto LeonardoSouth Sudan Gideon Gatpa ThoarSouth Sudan Alex BahatiRwanda Françoise UwumukizaRwanda Clément MusangabatwareRwanda Francine RutazanaRwanda Aisha NyiramanaRwanda Mathias HarabemunguRwanda Alodie IradukundaRwanda Caroline Rwivanga KayongaRwanda Fatuma NdangizaRwanda Suleiman Said ShahbalKenya David Ole SankokKenya Winnie OdingaKenya Maina Godfrey MwangiKenya Zipporah Kering KurgaKenya James Mathenge KaniniKenya Kennedy Musyoka KalonzoKenya Falhada Dekow ImanKenya Hassan Omar HassanKenya François Mangu NgateDemocratic Republic of Congo Stella Nyota MwetaminwaDemocratic Republic of Congo Joseph Mbombo MundelaDemocratic Republic of Congo Jérémie Ilenda MaswamaDemocratic Republic of Congo Dorothé Nganiza MasirikaDemocratic Republic of Congo Géraldine Kalwa KauboDemocratic Republic of Congo Evariste Kwete KalalaDemocratic Republic of Congo Jean-Bertrand EwangaDemocratic Republic of Congo Désiré Ipenda BouluDemocratic Republic of Congo Olivier NkurunzizaBurundi Anastase ManirambonaBurundi Saidi KibeyaBurundi Cathy KezimanaBurundi Mo-Mamo KarerwaBurundi Victor BurikukiyeBurundi Goreth BigirimanaBurundi Gabriel NtisezeranaBurundi Joseph NtakirutimanaBurundi
Composition
As of the Fourth Assembly, the East African Legislative Assembly has 62 members, of which each member state submits 9 elected members, and 8 ex-officio members.
According to Article 50 of the East African Community Treaty, members are elected by their respective country's national legislature. Article 50 also calls upon said members to reflect their country's political parties, opinions, gender composition, and other special groups.
The ex-officio members of the Assembly are to be each member state's minister for regional cooperation, the Secretary General of the East African Community, and the Counsel to the Community.
Functions Article 49 of the East African Community Treaty stipulates that the responsibilities of the East African Legislative Assembly are to "be the legislative organ of the Community", "liaise with the National Assemblies of the Partner States on matters relating to the Community", "debate and approve the budget of the Community", "consider annual reports on the activities of the Community, annual audit reports of the Audit Commission and any other reports referred to it by the Council", "discuss all matters pertaining to the Community and make recommendations to the Council as it may deem necessary for the implementation of the Treaty", "establish any committee or committees for such purposes as it deems necessary", "recommend to the Council the appointment of the Clerk and other officers of the Assembly", and "make its rules of procedure and those of its committees".
Committees