South Sudan made a quick run during the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Speakers contest, exiting at the last minute of what could have been a tough battle between its candidates and Burundian Joseph Ntakirutimana. The move saw Ntakirutimana return home unopposed.
While Juba had registered three candidates, Burundi faced only one, Mr. Ntakirutimana. In an unexpected twist, the South Sudanese withdrew less than an hour before the vote.
Dr. Ann Itto, one of the South Sudanese candidates, said they opted out because “Burundi joined (EAC) before us and we decided, through unity and working together, to let Burundi through.” “This decision will bring harmony, and in 2027, Burundi will support us,” she said.
Mr. Ntakirutimana replaces Rwandan Martin Ngoga at a time when the EAC is grappling with a cash crunch, which has caused many projects and programs to stall. Funding challenges have been partly attributed to the impact of the pandemic on economies. But the new Speaker is optimistic.
“I trust the partners and we will do everything possible for the proper functioning of the Assembly,” he said.
Read: Burundi wins EALA Spokesperson position
A recent Report by the Audit Commission on the Financial Statements of the Bodies and Institutions of the East African Community for the year ending 30 June 2021 indicated that the Community continued to face low budget absorption due to delays or failure to send funds from the Partner States.
South Sudan remains the biggest defaulter, owing the Community $29.4 million, while Burundi owes $12.4 million.
The Speaker is expected to continue the tradition of holding sessions on a rotating basis. The Assembly under the leadership of Mr. Ngoga rarely held sessions outside its Arusha base, due to budget problems and sour relations between some of the member states, such as Uganda and Rwanda, Burundi and Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.
In 2017, when Ngoga took office, Rwanda-Burundi relations were at an all time low after Burundi closed its borders with Kigali. The Spokesperson has to foster relations between the DRC and Rwanda. “I will work together with legislators to ensure that the interests of East Africans are well served,” Mr. Ntakarutimana said after taking the oath of office.
Also read: Swearing in of new EALA members
Since the Democratic Republic of the Congo has sent nine representatives, it is likely that the language barrier will delay the work of the Assembly. The Congolese are French-speaking and discussions and passing bills can be challenging, although the EAC has already adopted French and Kiswahili as the official languages of the Community. The challenge is that the Assembly has yet to purchase translation equipment for the benefit of Francophones.
Mr. Ntakarutimana is a veteran politician who joined Burundi’s parliament in 1993. He has served as a senator and member of parliament for almost 30 years.
As he was sworn in in Arusha, he spoke of his importance to Burundi and his own political journey.
“This (Arusha) is the place where we signed the agreement of my country. He saw me go from being a cleaner and a refugee to a member of parliament,” she said.
Mr. Ntakirutimana served as Burundi’s ambassador to the United Nations, was Minister of Good Governance and was Governor.
He has been the Deputy Secretary General of the ruling party for the past 10 years.
