Published on 16/10/2024
The First Deputy Prime Minister and East African Community Affairs (EAC) Minister Rebecca Kadaga has introduced the East African Community Mediation Agreement Bill, 2024 for its first reading.
The Bill aims to formalize the 1984 East African Mediation Agreement signed by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. This move seeks to solidify the legal framework for regional cooperation and dispute resolution. Kadaga presented the Bill during a plenary session on Wednesday, 16 October 2024. If passed, it will strengthen diplomatic ties within the EAC, fostering unity and collaboration.
“Conscious of the need to achieve a rational settlement of the Community’s affairs, the States engaged the services of a Mediator. The Mediator, on the basis of findings has made proposals for the permanent and equitable division of the assets and liabilities of the Corporations and the General Fund Services,” the Bill read in part.
The assets in question include East African Railways Corporation and the East African Airways Corporation.
Others are the East African Post and Telecommunications Corporation and its subsidiary, East African External Communications Company as well as East African Harbours Corporation and its subsidiary, East African Cargo Handling Services Limited.
The Bill also prescribes how the three countries will handle payment of former staff of the corporations as well as General Fund Services (GFS).
“Each State shall pay to members of staff formerly employed by the Corporations or GFS, other than those covered by the Pensions Take-over Agreement with the United Kingdom whose last duty station was within its territory,” the Bill provides in part.
It further states that creditors of the long-term liabilities, after having agreed to division of liabilities, each State shall solely be responsible for such balance of liabilities allocated to it and as reflected in the separate agreement between each state and each creditor.
According to the Bill, the three States agreed that the Soroti Civil Flying School, East African Development Bank, East African Inter-University Committee, Eastern and Southern African Management Institute and East African Community Library Services shall continue to function as joint East African institutions or common services.
“The states agree to explore and identify further areas for future co-operation and to work out concrete arrangements for such co-operation,” the Bill proposes.
The proposed law also establishes an Arbitration Tribunal, charged with handling disputes arising under the mediation agreement, including any questions concerning its interpretation or implementation and cannot be determined by the agreement between the parties.
Speaker, Anita Among referred the Bill to the Committee on East African Community Affairs for scrutiny.
Kadaga also tabled the amended Protocol of the East African Community Customs Union to facilitate establishment of a remedies committee to deal with sanctions in case of breaches of the Agreement.
“It has been ratified and laid by Minister of Foreign Affairs at the African Union and also at the EAC,” said Kadaga.
