Written by DAVID MUWANGA

KAMPALA, UGANDA: The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) during its third meeting of the third session held in Kampala adopted a number of resolutions that are targeted at implementing the regional projects as single block.

 
Among resolutions passed are the EAC Tourism and Wildlife Management Bill of 2008, a common strategy on food security, election observation manual for the EAC and the Conflict Prevention and Management Resolution (CPMR).

 
Implementing and monitoring projects jointly in the East African Community (EAC) member states would result into effective implementation of projects and accountability on the part of the five governments to the people of the region.

 
This is because negotiations done as a block will make it difficult for one government to divert the money meant for the regional project into other programmes. A case in point is that of Kenya where for example they might be reconstructing the road network from Mombasa to Nairobi but Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi are not doing the same from Malaba-Kampala-Kigali to Bujumbura.

 
If the three countries negotiate as block, they would secure funding and the road project is monitored by all the four countries from Mombasa to Bujumbura. If the EAC member states negotiate for a loan for the construction of the railway, each of them will ensure that the project is implemented and funds are accounted for. The EAC member states are still faced with poor road networks, unreliable and expensive power supply, high interest rates and high costs of fuel among others.

 
The draft election observation manual is expected to enhance democracy, the rule of law and governance, which is essential for political, social and economic development of the region.

 
EAC committee on regional affairs and conflict resolution chairman Michael Sebalu (Uganda), said the document sets a common standard to determine the credibility of electoral processes and the legitimacy of electoral outcomes in the five countries.

 
It also provides guidelines for observation missions whose report should be accurate, timely and impartial to be communicated to the Election Monitoring Board within four hours after the end of the voting, it states.

 
This means that the five countries can recruit a single firm to monitor elections and this would cut the costs of having five electoral commissions in each country.

 
 EALA Committee on Agriculture, Tourism and Natural Resources also noted that the East Africa Common Market provides an opportunity to end food insecurity through a common strategy for food security to include increased productivity, better handling and processing, and marketing of food products across the region.

 
The justification for this is the fact that all member countries are affected by the same climate and weather patterns and that food shortage in one country impacts on the others or some of them because it leads to movements or completion in prices.

 
Mr Dan Ogalo (Uganda) expressed fears that not enough was being done to implement the part of the Treaty that touches on agriculture and food security. He pushed for the establishment of regional institutions to manage the affairs of the Community.

 
Tanzania's Minister of the East African Community Affairs Dr. Diodorus Kamala said a Zero Draft of the Conflict Prevention Management and Resolution (CPMR) framework had been developed. and partner states would embark on its negations in June 2010.

The draft provides for establishment of a number of structures to support Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution. These include establishment of offices of special envoys and representatives, a panel of eminent persons, peace support operations, post conflict reconstruction and development and an EAC Peace Fund.

 
Hon. Dr. Kamala said framework to be presented to the Council for adoption by October 2010 will provide a normative policy mechanism to legitimize EAC's intervention and or initiation of processes for conflict prevention or resolution in regional conflicts among and between the EAC Partner States.

On the East African Community Tourism and Wildlife Management Bill, 2008, the Assembly proposed the establishment of a Commission to coordinate the development of the sector in the region.