Why Kenya could wait for 12th Parliament to elect her EALA representatives

President Uhuru Kenyatta addressing the East Africa Legislative Assembly photo:courtesy

Kenya may have to wait until the next Parliament to send a representative to the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA).

Grandstanding between the ruling Jubilee coalition and the Opposition has frustrated efforts to send the names of Kenyan MPs to the regional assembly.

New EALA members from other countries are expected to convene in Tanzania for the swearing-in ceremony in the next one week.

The wrangling involves the process of picking the names of Kenyan representatives.

The National Assembly faced a dilemma over how to proceed with the matter as key timelines had lapsed.

Speaker Justin Muturi told the House he, together with his Senate counterpart Ekwee Ethuro, would look at the regulations to confirm whether coming up with names outside the timelines was illegal.

“Allow us to look at the regulations, not the Treaty, to see if there is anything unprocedural, then we will communicate the way forward,” he said.

Parliament will adjourn 'sine die' (until a new House is convened) next week.

Last week, the House adopted the report requiring the Opposition to give seven extra names to the House, to take their total nominees to 12, from which four would be picked.

FOUR NAMES

The Opposition had provided only four names, denying the House the right to choose, and ensuring that all those nominated were elected.

But Jubilee protested and demanded more names from the Opposition as provided for in a report.

The Opposition kept the two presiding officers - the speakers of the Senate and the National Assembly - waiting all day  and had not given any extra names by the time we went to the press.