One of the resounding concerns from the East African Legislative Assembly members during their just ended meeting was a persistently lackluster media towards their activities.
The members, meeting in Nairobi, revealed a hunger for more information about them on newspapers, their video footage on region’s televisions and a mention here and there on any other kind of media rooted in the region.
During workshops held to acquaint the members on one or two responsibilities, a member tasked with leading debate would rise up and point an accusing finger at the regional media for failing to give the Assembly “enough publicity”. They did this before urging the fourth estate to give them respectable coverage like what their counterparts in respective national assemblies get.
When the East African talked with EALA speaker, Abdirahin Abdi, he responded with a similar message. He said they have indeed been overlooked, giving an example of the regionally thought exuberant Kenyan media. He said the country’s media developed cold feet on them throughout the two weeks they were in Nairobi for the Third Sitting of the Fourth EALA Session.
“Apart from reporting on President Kibaki’s official launch of the Sitting, what else have they said about us?” asked the speaker. He was referring to the opening of the Assembly’s session by President Kibaki. The function was widely reported. Mr Abdi added that not only was media black out slowing integration but was also denying citizens vital information necessary to stimulate their interests in advancing the EAC.
This dissatisfaction follows similar sentiments raised by Burundi president, Pierre Nkurunziza Earlier last the week the president reprimanded the media for “dwelling much on stories that portrayed the region in bad light” at the expense of promotional stories he said could endear the Community to many development partners. To underscore the point that sought to sting media houses and their personnel, most of them were busy focusing and refocusing their cameras on him while others speedily scribbled their notepads to keep pace with his speech, the president who is the present chair of the EAC Summit, said that the media had paid much attention on reporting negatively about “alleged stronger economies in the region prospering at the expense of fledgling nations.” Nobody was in place to counter that but the message was nonetheless driven home.
It was the same with the coming appointment of the next EAC Secretary General to take over from Ambassador Juma Mwapachu. The media has since received enough rebuke for what Mr Abdi said “manufacturing what seemed to be a misunderstanding” between Kenya and Rwanda over the imminent replacement. The speaker was more than ready to add on the fast piling criticism. He insisted that there was no disagreement about which country to take over the soon-to-be filled position and that his members never raised the issue during their two-week sittings. It was a feeling expressed by Mr Gervase Akhaabi, the Kenyan representative at the Assembly who said anything touching on the Treaty was left for heads of state to deliberate on and solve any differences.
“Unless we receive any direction from them, we are not able to discuss the Treaty,” said Mr Akhaabi adding that they would have overstepped their mandate had they debated on the change of power at the Secretariat. He too had no good news for the media softly saying they had blown something previously working out in order out of proportion.
Kenya’s minister in charge of EAC affairs, Hellen Sambili, who in the past said the matter was squarely in the hands of the five presidents, chose a safer path while addressing an interactive session bringing together EALA members and some Mps from the Kenya parliament. She challenged the participants to “get out of the hotels” and go out to educate the people on how they could benefit from the integration. She said the media was one of partners the Community had to closely work with if it was to succeed.
The said existing gap was confirmed by outgoing EAC Secretary General, Juma Mwapachu, when he revealed the Secretariat’s plans to open its radio station soon. The station, Radio Afrika Mashariki, will broadcast throughout the partner states in the regions’ major languages-Kiswahili, English, and French-will be a subject of discussion during the forthcoming Media summit in March. The radio is expected to give priority regional matters and probably enable people in the region learn more about the Community.
Mr Abdi, while asking for more exposure of the region for citizens to have real grasp of regional matters, said despite their rarity in the media they were not planning to formulate any law to force the media to report more on EAC matters or even EALA.
If the lack of publicity made Mr Abdi’s heart hurt, then the successes of the assembly he leads brought back joy into it.
Over the session four Reports were debated and adopted by the House. First was a Report on Regional Dialogue on the Politics of Food Security in Eastern Africa jointly presented by the Committees on Agriculture and Tourism and Natural Resources. Then another on Strategic Planning to address Climate Change brought into the sitting by the Regional Parliamentary Symposium. Also adopted were Reports on Developing Mining Legal Frameworks in the East African region and that of the EAC Observer Mission to Southern Sudan Referendum.
“This sitting was very successful. We received and debated on many reports and Bills which came for second and third reading” said the speaker when EALA held its last meeting before adjourning to the end of March when they will meet again in Kigali.
He reiterated on high competence of the organ’s members saying they were up to the task and skilful in law making.
“They were thoroughly vetted by parliaments in their countries and therefore up to the huge task of coming up with pieces of legislation to guide regional integration and enable citizens fully embrace the EAC.”
