Gov’t urged to create awareness on EAC protocols
A lawmaker representing South Sudan in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has urged the government to create awareness of the East African Community (EAC) protocols among relevant stakeholders and the general public.
Last week, South Sudanese legislators gathered in the regional assembly (EALA) to examine the status of ratification and implementation of existing EAC protocols and regulations.
According to the chair of the Legal, Rules, and Regulations Committee, Ayason Mukulia Kennedy, one of EALA’s tasks is to perform an assessment of the status of all protocols concluded by the EAC and the execution of the laws already in existence.
“The main objective of this activity is to assess the reasons for delays in the ratification of concluded protocols, and to assess the implementation of laws of the community by partner states,” he said.
Since South Sudan became a member of the regional bloc of six countries in April 2016, it has approved 14 of the EAC protocols.
According to the EAC requirement, a state must fulfil some of the essential steps at the national level before ratifying or acceding to a treaty in accordance with the norms of the law of treaties. National law or the constitution of any particular state governs these laws.
However, Mukulia said poor adoption of the protocols had hampered the integration process.
“The method of implementation of protocols is piecemeal. They are not fully implemented, and it affects the integration process, “he stressed.
The lawmaker called on the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to conduct more capacity building in the country to ensure national laws comply with EAC norms.
Mary Ajith, the Director for Legislative Drafting at the Ministry of Justice, said South Sudan acceded to the EAC treaty through accession, becoming a party to the pact that was already in force among other states.
“This means South Sudan shall be bound by the treaty, all legislation, and implement protocols, other agreements, and policies,” she said.
The EAC is a regional intergovernmental organisation with headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, that includes Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
South Sudan was threatened with expulsion by the EAC in October 2019 for failing to pay membership dues. Every year, all EAC member states contribute $8 million.
According to Article 146 of the EAC Treaty, if a partner state fails to observe and fulfil the treaty’s essential principles and objectives, including failing to satisfy financial commitments within 18 months, the summit may suspend that state’s participation in the bloc’s activities.
