Glaring splits emerged on Wednesday this week as the stalled East African Community (EAC) budget finally sailed through.
MPs from the six partner states were vocal with each of those who took the floor attributing the delay to overlapping roles of key organs.
The $ 97.6million budget estimates for 2020/2021 financial year will now be sent to the Heads of State for assent before funds release.
It has taken seven months for the expenditure funds to be appropriated and this is only five months before the end of the current fiscal year.
Eala Speaker, Martin Ngoga, who guided the House to another stormy session, said expenditure of the funds has to be sent to the partner states for assent.
"We expect the process (assent) will be fast-tracked because the current financial year is nearing the end", he told reporters after the virtual session.
It was no easy task as the experienced Rwandan lawmaker at the helm of Eala managed to have the MPs vote to approve the estimates.
During the voting, which was preceded by a tense debate which apparently isolated Tanzania and Burundi,33 MPs who were in the House were in favour while nine were against.
The funds would be disbursed to the EAC organs and institutions, nearly a half to the amount going to the Secretariat, the executive arm of the Community.
While the Secretariat will get $48.5million, Eala itself will walk away with $16.7million and the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) $3.9million.
The Kampala-based Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) will top the EAC institutions with an allocation of $10.9million.
It will be closely followed by Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) - $8.3million and Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization ($3million).
The rest of the EAC institutions will receive less than $2million for their annual expenditure for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 2021.
The passing of the delayed budget, a relief for the cash-strapped EAC whose numerous activities have stalled,did not come easy though.
As the virtual session of the House began, some MPs were furious as to why the EAC Council of Ministers was putting pressure on them to have the estimates approved.
The onslaught against the policy organ of the Community was led by MPs from Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan calling for Eala's mandate to be left intact.
"The Council (of Ministers) has no powers to tell the Assembly what to do on the passing of the budget", lamented Suzanne Nakauki, a lawmaker from Uganda.
She said the Council can direct the EAC partner states but not the Assembly as the latter's mandate was clear for its oversight role.
She stated although the Council of Ministers has powers to "consider the budget" of the Community,it is at Eala where the estimates will be tabled, discussed and passed.
She was supported by legislators from her country, Kenya, South Sudan and Rwanda with those from Tanzania and Burundi opposed to demeaning of the ministerial organ.
The division heightened when Tanzania's deputy minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation William ole Nasha said Tanzania was in full support of the Council of Ministers.
"We will support the budget estimates approved by the Council of Ministers and not the estimates doctored by Eala", he affirmed when hooked from Dodoma.
The six nation EAC bloc has been without an expenditure budget since the beginning of the 2020/2021 financial year in July last year due to a host of reasons.
The last time the same estimates were tabled was on December 10th when the House could not pass the $97.6million budget for lack of quorum.
This was after the legislators from Kenya vanished from the screens of the virtual session after a hours' long debate. No reasons were given for the boycott.
The passing of the budget took place exactly a month before the EAC Heads of State Summit slated for February 27th to be preceded by the ministerial sessions.
Top on the agenda of the summit, the first to take place in two years, will be the region's recovery plans from the devastating impact of Covid.19.
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