East African Assembly finally kicks out speaker

Kenya: The East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) has removed embattled speaker Margaret Nantongo Zziwa from office, citing her inability to perform the functions of the office amid accusations of misconduct.

This was done when members held a sitting in Arusha yesterday. It required a two-thirds majority for a speaker to be removed.

Dr Zziwa’s removal was endorsed by 36 members, while only two voted for her retention, and one abstained.

The sitting was chaired by Presiding Officer Chris Opoka Okumu, who was elected to preside over the motion for removal of the speaker on November 26 at a sitting in Nairobi.

The Clerk declared the position vacant in accordance with Article seven of the Rules of Procedure. This means the names of candidates for the election of speaker shall be obtained within 48 hours from today (3.30pm) in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

Zziwa, who was elected Eala’s first female Speaker in June 2012 when she defeated Dora Byamukama in the second round, was absent from the plenary when the motion was debated and passed.

In a report presented to the House by Eala Chairman of the Legal, Rules and Privileges Committee Frederic Ngenzebuhoro, the speaker was unable to discharge her duties in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty and the Rules of procedure.

Unnecessary delays

The Speaker is also accused of wasting resources of the Community through poor time management, unnecessary delays, postponement of meetings and laisser-faire attitude to Assembly provisions.

“In August 2013, all members of the Assembly went to Mombasa, Kenya as programmed in the Eala Annual Legislative Calendar for 2013-2014 financial year. The speaker, who was supposed to chair the meeting, did not come as scheduled, nor did she delegate responsibility of chairing the meeting,” the report reads in part.