President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni says the region is committed to full regional integration and wants the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) to sensitize citizens on the benefits.

Meeting the EALA Speaker Dan Fred Kidega at State House Entebbe last night, Museveni said the EAC would arrive at the political federation as the ultimate pillar of integration.

In his submissions the Speaker urged President Museveni to enhance efforts to ensure stability and normalcy resumes in Burundi, and gave a detailed account of EALA’s involvement in seeking for solutions in troubled East African country.

“I and the Assembly request you to intensively focus on Burundi to restore normalcy,” Speaker Kidega implored Mr Museveni, who is also the mediator of the Burundi peace process.

The Speaker also told Mr Museveni that EALA was demanding for an independent inquiry into the death of former EALA member Hafsa Mossi, who was killed in Bujumbura on July 13, 2016.

On South Sudan, the Speaker sounded the Assembly’s concern over recent developments, while affirming that resolving challenges in the sister Partner States was part and parcel of enhancing the spirit of integration.

On the precarious funding situation at the EAC, Rt Hon Kidega said it was now time for the bloc to embrace sustainability mechanisms as a key survival strategy.

“The Summit has agreed in principle that EAC adopts an alternative funding strategy and that such be pursued to ensure sustainability.  The Council of Ministers is reviewing the options – but the pace is indeed slow. Excellency, we plead that the matter be fast tracked”, Rt Hon Kidega said.

At its meeting in Arusha last week, the EAC’s Finance and Administration Committee urged Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania to settle their arrears and the instalments of the contribution for the current financial year to ease the liquidity challenges.

The Speaker further urged the region to review its stance on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) given the recent developments in global trade.

“Excellency, the region is seized of the matter of the EPAs given a number of recent developments.  The main one concerns the Brexit and its implications which we as a region need to take cognisance of.  The other concerns the decision by the EU to embargo/blockade the Republic of Burundi from enjoying the benefits of trade.  EALA has enacted Trade Negotiations Act, 2008 that among other things calls for joint negotiations of Treaties that are of benefit to the bloc”, the Speaker said.  

He remarked that the region would be unable to favourably compete if the subsidies on Agriculture on EU products.

As part of ensuring investor confidence in the region, the Speaker informed President Museveni that EALA was keen on enacting legislation that safeguards interests of investors and provides for compensation in event of damage.  On the other hand, such a law should ensure safeguard of local content in terms of use of materials, manpower and technology transfer among other areas.

Responding to the Speaker’s submissions on regional economic development, President Museveni said the EAC region was on verge of economic take-off and that a breakthrough would be realised by extending exports and diversification of products beyond the EU markets.

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Sixty three nursery and primary institutions run by Bridge International Academies (BIA), a ‘for profit’ educational network operating in Uganda, are to be closed by September.

The announcement made recently in Parliament by education minister Janet Kataha Museveni, will affect about 12,000 children, who have to look for new schools beginning next term. According to Ms. Museveni, the schools, where pupils pay about US$5, are not following the guidelines as set by the Ministry of Education and Sports.

According to Ms. Museveni, the lives of the 12.000 pupils at the BIA schools had been ‘endangered’, with most of the schools operating under poor sanitary and infrastructural conditions. Further, the schools reportedly employ ‘unqualified’ teachers, ostensibly to cut down on operating costs, and that they also offer an obscure curriculum, not in tandem with the official one followed by other public schools.

The schools, all operating in areas where access to education is a thorny issue, are being funded and supported by among others the US government, the World Bank and, billionaires Bill Gates of Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and eBay auction Chairman, Pierre Omidyar.

In Africa BIA operates schools in Uganda, Kenya and Liberia, and in a statement by Michael Kaddu, the BIA head of corporate and public affairs in Uganda, the decision will also affect about 800 workers in the country.

Education inspection in Uganda is questionable and just a week ago ministry authorities established that pupils at the Greenhill Academy Buwaate campus had been exposed to erogenous material, prompting reaction by infuriated parents.

A teacher by profession, Janet Museveni was appointed education minister by her husband President Yoweri Museveni in June this year, and her appointment elicited mixed reactions, with some saying she would realign the ministry for better results. Others however, criticized her appointment, saying the job should have been given to a seasoned teacher with practical professional experience.

Meanwhile, this is not the first time BIA schools run into trouble with authorities in the East African region; previously the network has had problems with the Kenyan government which issued new guidelines under which the schools, that enroll about 100.000 pupils in the EA giant economy, can operate.

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