EAC sexual health bill subjected to public hearing across seven member states
The long-awaited East African Community (EAC) Sexual and Reproduction Health Rights (SRHR) bill has reached its final stage of public hearing across the seven East African member states before deliberations.
The controversial bill, which was developed in 2017 and first tabled in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) in June 2021, will be expected to harness health, gender, demographic, economic, and climate dividends if enacted into law.
It will also be expected to contribute to the reduction of morbidity and mortality and improve the lives of 117 million citizens of the six partner states of the EAC, although its critics argue that it would do more harm than good to the younger generation.
According to Kennedy Mukulia, a Member of Parliament representing South Sudan in EALA, the bill derives its legal basis from Article 118 of the EAC Treaty, which obliges the Partner States to cooperate in developing reproductive health that eliminates harmful practices.
“We are looking at how we can improve sexuality education for people living in the community. “We should be able to eliminate harmful practices that do exist in our communities,” said Mr Mukulia, during South Sudan’s public hearing on the bill to gather public views on the bill.
The bill provides for free access to sexuality and reproductive education to prevent early marriage and unwanted pregnancy among young girls as well as improve fertility in men.
Encounters resistance
However, some opponents have called for thorough scrutiny of some of the clauses of the bill before enacting into law, arguing that the bill could harm the East Africans’ values and traditions, legalising sex among children as far as 10 years old.
Kabeeto Richard, a visiting lecturer at the Catholic University, said comprehensive sexuality and reproductive education without clear definitions of keywords such as “abortion” will promote irrelevant cultures in East Africa and, as such, gain no support from some partner states.
“The Bill is going to face a lot of challenges … “I call upon the honourable Kennedy Ayason Mukulia to withdraw the bill because there is no evidence that this bill is for the East African Community,” said Mr Kabeeto.
According to Bishop James Lagos Alexander of the African Inland Church, though people hold different views of the bill, it will become an important law for the EAC member states to adopt to eliminate some of the existing harmful practices in the region.
“It depends on each state, and if it is rejected, we have to come and sit down again to see where there is controversy and disagreement because most of the articles talk about some of the rights and harmful practices that are not healthy.”
“We have to make sure we have a better approach when it comes to terms with sexual issues, health, and abuses. I know people may discuss and it may not be the best for everybody, but at least there is a good document that is going to be presented,’’ the Bishop said.
After finalising public hearings by the end of the week across the EAC countries, the bill will be tabled for second and third readings where it will be enacted into laws by the EALA and presented to the heads of state for assent.