The Clerk to Parliament, Hon Adolf Mwesige, has lauded the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) for working towards the realisation of East African integration.
Mwesige said that East African integration lies in the hands of the EALA legislators even after their retirement.
“I thank you for continuing to steer the agenda of the East African Community (EAC). It’s a continuous struggle despite the challenges you face. EALA is a core organ for the growth of the Community because it’s the legislative decision-making arm,” Mwesige said.
The Clerk to Parliament was speaking on Tuesday, 25 January 2022, during a courtesy visit by EALA MPs sitting on the Accounts Committee who are in Uganda for a benchmarking tour.
Referring to his personal experience, Mwesige urged the EALA MPs who are hitting retirement to continue using their wealth of knowledge and expertise to push for the East African agenda and growth of EAC.
“The East African integration lies in your hands. Even in your retirement you will remain resourceful to the Community. Being in Arusha for 10 years is not a small time, so such a member should be utilised even after retirement because EAC has a lot of opportunities,” he said. He pledged total support and cooperation to the East African Parliament.
Hon Suzan Nakawuki, Uganda’s representative in EALA, who also doubled as the head of the delegation, thanked Uganda’s Parliament for the hospitable reception and for being resourceful in terms of information and knowledge.
On a lighter note, Hon Nakawuki on behalf of other EALA MPs ‘complained’ about the variety of healthy, natural foods in Uganda which she said is making members bulge in weight and hesitant to return to Arusha.
The EALA MPs on Monday interacted with the MPs on the accountability committees of Commission, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) and Public Accounts Committee (Central). On Tuesday, the delegation continued their engagement with the Parliamentary Committee on Budget which is currently scrutinizing the Budget Framework Papers for FY 2022/23 for Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
