encourage international co- operation; to promote peace, security and stability of the continent; to establish necessary conditions which enable the continent to play its role in the global economy and in international negotiations, and promote sustainable development at economic social and cultural levels as well as integration of African economies.
Uganda. It covers an area of 1.8 million square kilometres. It was originally founded in 1967, collapsed in 1977 and was officially revived on 7 July 2000. In 2008 after negotiations with
the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA), the EAC agreed to an expanded free trade area including the member states of all three. It serves as one of the pillars of the African Economic Community. The EAC aims at achieving its goals and objectives through promotion of sustainable growth and the equitable development of the region including rational utilization of the region’s natural resources, while protecting the environment. It also seeks to strengthen and consolidate the longstanding political, economic, social, cultural and traditional ties and associations between the peoples of the region in order to promote people-centred mutual development.
It further seeks to enhance and strengthen the participation of the private sector and civil society, and to mainstream gender in all its
programmes including enhancing the role of women in development, promotion of good governance, democracy, rule of law, accountability, transparency, social justice, equal opportunity and gender equality. Lastly it promotes peace, security and stability within the region. The Pan-African Parliament
(PAP) was established in 2004 by Article 17 of the Constitutive Act of African Union. This was mainly meant to serve the following objectives: to facilitate
implementation of the policies and objectives of African union; to promote the principles of human rights and democracy in Africa, and to encourage good governance, transparency and accountability in the member states. The Pan-African Parliament was also meant to familiarize the people with the objectives and policies aimed at integrating the African continent within the framework of the establishment of the AU; promote peace, security and stability, contribute to a more prosperous future for the people of Africa by promoting self reliance and economic recovery, facilitate
34 | The Parliamentarian | 2010: Issue Three - Kenya
President Kibaki (seated left) and Prime Minister Odinga (seated right) while signing the National Accord and Reconciliation Act in 2008. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (Standing, second left), who brokered the deal, looks on. Also present was Tanzanian President H.E. Jakaya Kikwete (Standing, left).
cooperation and development in Africa.
It further seeks to strengthen continental solidarity and build a sense of common destiny among the African people. Finally it aims to facilitate co-operation among regional economic communities and their parliamentary fora. The African Union has several objectives: to achieve greater unity and solidarity between the African people and the states of Africa; to defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of its member states; to accelerate political and socio-economic integration of the continent; to promote and defend the African position on issues of interest to the continent and its people; to
It is also to promote democratic principles and institutions, popular participation and good governance, promote and protect human and peoples’ rights in accordance with the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other relevant human rights instruments. The African community also aims at promoting co-operation in all fields of human activity to raise the living standard of African people, coordinate and harmonize policies between existing and future regional economic communities for the gradual attainment of the Union’s objectives, advance the development of the continent by promoting research in all fields, in particular science and technology, and to work with all relevant international partners in the eradication of preventable diseases and promotion of good health on the continent.
Why Parliament has an international role The real question that really begs an answer is what is the place of Parliament in the important function of foreign and international relations to an African country like Kenya? In many jurisdictions, constitutional practices and traditions give the executive the monopoly of all principal processes of foreign policy including formulation, execution, oversight and review or restructuring. The National Assembly is often made to play the subsidiary roles of budget provision for foreign relations, the approval of budgetary