East African Business Week

ARUSHA, TANZANIA - President Yoweri Museveni and the Director of Makerere Institute for Social Research (MISR) Prof. Mahmood Mamdani are expected to attend the first East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) symposium to be held in Arusha, Tanzania.
A statement issued by the EALA secretariat in Arusha last week said that the symposium will also be attended by two former Presidents, Tanzania's Ali Hassan Mwinyi and Kenya's Daniel Arap Moi.
"The symposium that starts June 30-July 2nd will be held on the theme "A Decade of Service Towards a Political Federation" and Prof. Mahmood Mamdani, is expected to deliver a paper on "Political Federation: Expectations and Challenges," in a session that will  include other panellists", said the EALA Senior Public Relations Officer Bobi Odiko.
He said that the event, which is being organized by EALA as part of the celebrations to mark ten years of existence, shall be attended by over 150 participants from the political class, civil society, private sector, academia and youth organizations.
He said that President Museveni and the former Presidents of Tanzania and Kenya are expected to deliver papers on the theme, "Vision for the EAC, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,"  
Former Secretary General of EAC, Hon Amanya Mushega shall deliver a keynote address on "Catalysing the EAC integration process: A recipe for realization of the Political Federation" where panellists shall include the former EAC Secretary Generals, Francis Muthaura and Juma Mwapachu and current Secretary General of the East African Community, Dr. Richard Sezibera.
It is expected that the symposium will culminate into establishment of an annual EALA forum that will lay strategies on how best to achieve a Political Federation in the long run.
The Chairperson of the EAC Summit, President Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi has been invited to close the Symposium on July 2, 2011.
EALA Speaker Abdirahin H. Abdi said that the Treaty for the establishment for the EAC which was signed on 30th November 1999 and entered in to force on 7 July 2000 has four integrative pillars that include the Customs Union, the Common Market, the Monetary Union and ultimately, the Political Federation.  
He said that EALA was established as the legislative Organ of the Community under Article 9 of the EAC Treaty with a mandate that includes legislation, oversight function and approval of the budget of the Community.