Will the East African Community (EAC) Summit be forced to intervene in the standoff over the organization's budget?
The regional body begins the second half of the 2020/2021 financial year on January 1st without an expenditure budget for its operations.
The $97.6million proposed for expenditure during the period had not been passed by the time the six-nation body went into end-of-year recess recently.
The estimates could not sail through on December 10th when they were tabled before the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) for the fourth time in a row.
Officially this was due to lack of quorum after four of the five Kenyan MPs in attendance vanished from the screens of the virtual session.
The plenary sitting of the House shall take place if there is a minimum of three MPs from each of the six partner states.
Efforts to have Eala reconvene,debate and pass the badly needed funds for the cash-strapped EAC this year-end have not borne fruits.
Eala Speaker Martin Ngoga admitted that the Heads of State Summit have powers to intervene and approve the stalled budget.
"EAC Heads of State have powers to approve the budget.But we should not allow this to go to the Summit ", he said in an interview recently.
He said he was against the matter going to the regional leaders since Eala and other organs have been given the tools to handle the situation.
"Why should we allow this?", he asked, noting that the Summit of Heads of States of the partner states "has more serious issues to address".
Mr. Ngoga, a lawmaker from Rwanda, reiterated there are prospects that Eala could reconvene soon to pass the stalled budget.
"I am optimistic not because of any serious progress I have made in reaching out to the legislators and other organs.
"I am seeing some prospects because the crisis should be considered an urgent matter that should be resolved urgently", he said.
He added that Eala was mandated by the people of East Africa to pass the budget estimates but regretted this has not been the case.
The Speaker insisted he would convene a Special Sitting of the Assembly "if I am assured of the presence of everyone to come to the table".
Officials of the EAC Secretariat, the executive arm of the Community, have repeatedly hinted the Summit, indeed, has powers to approve the budget should other means fail.
However, they have not been categorical on how this can be done as the mandate of the Summit is seemingly political or general in nature.
The EAC Treaty says the Summit shall give general directions and impetus as to the achievement of the objectives of the Community.
The only tangible function is that it shall review the state of peace, security and good governance within the region.
Ideally, the budget matters fall under the Council of Ministers, the EAC policy organ which works closely with the Secretariat.
Mr. Ngoga could not reveal as to why the Kenyan legislators ditched the Eala sitting that was about to pass the budget on December 10th.
"I don't have any official communication with them. MPs from other countries have walked out of the Assembly before", he said.
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