The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga has called for a review of regulations for the election of representatives to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) to provide for universal adult suffrage.

Presently the representatives from each of the five partner states under the East African Community to the regional assembly are elected through national parliaments.

Rebecca Kadaga

The EAC Secretary General, Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera who is currently visiting Uganda said there may be a need to change the electoral college for the election of members to EALA to make the Assembly more representative.

He however said that there was no agreement yet on whether universal adult suffrage would be adopted.

Dr. Sezibera said national parliaments must play a central role in the integration of the people of East Africa.

Kadaga said she had asked the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline to split and create a Committee on East African Community Affairs from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, to focus on matters of regional integration.

She said, she had also recommended that the Minister for EAC affairs brief Parliament about the process of integration once a year.

In a separate meeting, Kadaga also met the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly, Abdirahim H. Abdi, who paid a courtesy call on her at Parliament Building.