Disputes loom as House picks EALA members

Parliament will next week elect nine nominees to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) for the first time, an exercise that is likely to test partisan political strengths following recent shifts in loyalties.

The House will hold a special session on Thursday next week in the morning where MPs will debate a report by the Defence and Foreign Relations Committee on the nominees before they elect representatives to the EALA in the afternoon.

READ: House gets final say over EALA seats

Last Friday, Parliament officials presented 117 applicants to party chief whips.

The term of the current 52 EALA lawmakers expires on June 4 and with a new Parliament inaugurated on June 5.

Each of the East African Community (EAC) states — Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi — are to elect nine members to the regional Parliament, making a total of 45.

Seven ex-officio members including ministers responsible for EAC, the secretary-general and a counsel make up the rest of the membership.

The roadmap National Assembly clerk Patrick Gichohi issued for election of Kenya’s nominees to the assembly on Friday while handing over the lists of applicants to political party chief whips — Johnstone Muthama (PNU) and Jakoyo Midiwo (ODM) — shows that parties will nominate their candidates based on their strength in Parliament on Friday.

The party chief whips will present the lists of applicants to their parties for nomination. This is likely to trigger a new round of wrangles in the parties following the recent shift in political alliances and disputes.