“We must demonstrate to Make EAC Member states settle their dues!” Civic and Legal Aid Organization maintains stand

The Civic and Legal Aid Organization which operates from Arusha insists on conducting peaceful demonstrations, requesting the East African Community member countries to pay their dues to the EAC.

The Director of the Civic and Legal Aid Organization (CILAO), Odero Charles Odero, pointed out that due to their lenience in settling their annual contributions to the East African Community Secretariat in Arusha, the EAC organs have failed to perform as expected.

According to Odero, the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) for instance, has been compelled to suspend operations from the month of June 2024 due to lack of funds.

“The East African Court of Justice is the organ whose mandates directly affect the ordinary residents of East Africa and the idea of halting its operation has a drastic effect on all the people in the eight EAC member states,” Odero Maintained.

Reports from the East African Court of Justice indicate that at least 200 legal matters that were to be addressed by the court in June 2024 have been affected with the temporary hiatus due to financial constraints.

The East African Community is currently made up of eight countries, including the founding three, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, as well as others like Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the recent two additions, DR Congo and Somalia.

It is also not known if the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), the other EAC organ which is about to sit for its annual budget sessions will also be affected by the lack of operation funds facing the East African Community.

Initially the Civic and Legal Aid Organization (CILAO) officials wrote to the Arusha District Police informing them of their planned demonstration to that effect, but the response was on the negative side. It seems the police in the city don’t want to see the march.

“We were therefore surprised and offended when our request to conduct the peaceful demonstration march from Sakina to the East African Community Headquarters in Sekei was refused by the local police, who stated in their recent dispatch that the routes in plan would affect the busy roads that cut through the city,” said Odero.

CILAO is therefore intending to file an appeal as well as lodging official complaints to the Tanzanian Minister of Local Government regarding the issue of their planned peaceful demonstrations being unceremoniously stopped by both the Arusha District Commissioner, Felician Mtahengerwa and the local police.