Mukasa Mbidde: EALA MPs should be elected directly by people

East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Member of Parliament Fred Mukasa Mbidde has said the election of members to the assembly should be restructured so that Ugandans vote their representatives directly.

In a conversation with journalist Charles Kazooba a few days ago, Mbidde said this will help EALA to have meaning and account to Ugandans.

“In my meeting with Hon Mukasa Fred Mbidde we concluded that election of members of the East African Parliament should be restructured so that Ugandans directly vote for these delegates (not Ugandan Parliament as is the case) and for this regional legislative body to have meaning and account to Ugandans. Secondly, the top-bottom way of transacting business within EAC should change so that integration agenda is pushed from bottom-up by ordinary people through interest groups like trade groups, manufactures, farmers, professional associations, unions, civil society etc. This paves way for ordinary people to make decisions and determine the direction of the integration process. In essence power held by Heads of State in EAC has to be reduced through the bottom-top approach. That’s how we can reduce conflicts between partner states,”Kazooba said in a Facebook post.

Mbidde is an elected member of the 3rd East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), representing the Republic of Uganda. He has been in this office since June 2012. He second and last term ends in 2022.

Currently, parliament elects Uganda’s representatives to EALA, the legislative organ of the East African Community that consists of members elected from outside the national Parliaments of the five partner states, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.