EALA to retain Burundi legislators

EALA legislators at a recent session in Kampala. PHOTO BY FAISWAL KASIRYE

KAMPALA- The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) will not force out four Burundian members from the house as requested by the Burundi government, House speaker Daniel Kidega has confirmed.

The resolution was confirmed yesterday after Mr Kidega met the four members - Jeremie Ngendakumana, Martin Nduwimana, Yves Nsabimana and Frederique Njenzebuhoro, to discuss the matter further.

“After consultations with the CTC (Counsel to the Community (CTC), we found that Burundi’s request is not tenable and does not go with terms and treaties that establish EALA. I wrote to my counterpart Pascal Nyabenda, the Speaker of the Assembly of Burundi, and explained to him the matter,” said Mr Kidega in a Tuesday interview with Business Daily, Daily Monitor’s sister paper.

“We have a strong framework on how to elect and suspend members from the house – these are clear laws that nobody is allowed to violate, so we cannot go further than that.”

Under rule three of the EALA Rules of Procedure, members of the Assembly shall exercise their mandate independently and shall not be bound by any instructions or orders from any person or authority regarding the exercise of their mandate.

Observers on Burundi say the decision to recall four of its nine EALA members is a “shameful political move” by pro-President Pierre Nkurunziza groups. Once implemented, the move could harm the bloc’s integration’s programmes.

The four reportedly sided with those who opposed Mr Nkurunziza’s extension of his term of office, which led to countrywide protests.
By Africa Review
(Africa Review is a Nation Media Group initiative to tell untold African stories)