EAC SECRETARIAT FUND DROPS BY $12M

Flags of EAC member States. PHOTO | FILE 

By Zephania Ubwani
Arusha. The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat will get about $ 12m less for its expenditure during the 2016/2017 financial year compared to what it received for the current fiscal year as the Community embarks on cost-cutting due to dwindling support from donors.
The regional Court, too, will receive less next fiscal year while the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala), which has been in the forefront against misuse of funds at the regional organization, will have its budget for 2016/2017 upped to $ 16,034,324 from $ 15,865,646 it received during the fiscal year coming to an end.
If the proposed estimates are approved by Eala which is currently holding a session here, the entire budget for the EAC,its organs and institutions under it will total $ 101.3m for the next financial year, which is slightly less than $ 110.6m which was approved for expenditure during 2015/2016.
The Secretariat, which is the executive arm of the Community, will get $ 57.8 million for 2016/2017 against $ 69.6m it received during 2015/2016 while Eala will have its budget for the financial year 2016/2017 marginally increased to $ 16m from $ 15.8m in the current year.
The East African Court of Justice (EACJ), which together with the Secretariat and the regional Assembly make the principal organs of EAC, will receive $ 4.2m, a bit less than $ 4.3m it was allocated for 2015/2016 financial year.
The budget estimates also indicate that institutions under the EAC, including the recently established ones, had their budget allocations for the coming fiscal year much increased with some having their finances doubled compared with the current financial period.
Those which had their estimates doubled include the East African Competition Authority ( $ 1.5m), the East African Kiswahili Commission (1.1m) and the East African Health Research Commission (($ 1.3m).
Other institutions under the Community which will get slightly more money for expenditure during the coming fiscal year than the current period are Lake Victoria Basin Commission ($ 11.2m), Inter-University Council of East Africa - IUCEA (4 4.5m) and East African Science and Technology Commission ($ 1.1m).
Only the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO), which is one of the oldest organizations of the revived EAC, had its budget for the coming financial year cut by about a half compared to the current fiscal year.
Next fiscal year, the organization based in Jinja, Uganda, will get $ 2.1m which is less by far than $ 3.m budgeted for it during 2015/2016.

CREDIT: THE CITIZEN