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{
    "id": 770855,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/770855/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 91,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Dr.) Nyikal",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 434,
        "legal_name": "James Nyikal",
        "slug": "james-nyikal"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Speaker for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Motion. As we discuss membership to EALA, the most basic issue that we are talking about is the East African Community and the cooperation. This is such an important concept that, in my mind, as we go on with many discussions and protocols, it does not look to me that we are really getting to the place where the Community will meet the needs of the people of East Africa. The people are far ahead of the leaders in their need to be integrated to live as one unit. The delay in Kenya appointing Members to the EALA has put us in bad light in terms of the consideration for the cohesion and integration of East Africa. The factors that we seem to have been considering were either selfish personal interests or just political interests and not the interests of the East African people who wish to live together. The process of integration has been so slow that sometimes I think it will never be achieved. I do not think it will not be achieved because the people are not willing to live together but because the leaders that are driving this process are not fully committed to the integration and cohesion of East Africa. Looking at where the East African cooperation and integration as a Community is, apart from the other members that have come in like Rwanda and South Sudan, in reality we are far much behind where we were in the early 1960s. Looking at the area of movement of people and the issue of passports and identity cards, we still cannot move across East Africa as smoothly and easily as we were able to do in the 1960s and 1970s. Our people cannot move as they wish. We had one movement or identification document at that time. I know we have a protocol regarding currency but you do not see these protocols moving to the point where we can have one currency in East Africa. Some of us here may not actually realise that at one time there was a single currency for East Africa. You could move from as far down as Mtwara to as far up as Gulu with one currency. Hon. Speaker, we are still talking about the protocol. We are not moving to get the currency at the East African Legislative Assembly. I see some reluctance. As you get Members there, they should see the basic need for integration and cohesion. We used to have common services in the area of transport like the East African Road Services and East African Airways. We also had East African Research Institute and East African University. Many here may not realise that we had the university of East Africa. This has moved on including the professional bodies. We need to harmonise the regulatory authorities of East African Community. I know there is an effort to do that in law and the medical profession. These are things that are delaying. As we elect people to EALA, I do not know whether they put enough emphasis to move us forward, or we just retain the EALA where we discuss from time to time. Then we come up with a protocol, and we have council of ministers and the summit, but you do not see something that is tangible. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}