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Kenya has secured an initial victory in its appeal for a waiver of subscription arrears to the Forum of Parliaments of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (FP-ICGLR), which were incurred during a period when Kenya was not a participant.
The issue arose during the Conference of Speakers of the FP-ICGLR in Luanda, Angola, where it was agreed that the matter would be added to the substantive agenda for full resolution at the next meeting.
A delegation from the Parliament of Kenya, led by Senate Speaker Rt. Hon. Amason Kingi, had previously raised this issue before the FP-ICGLR Finance and Resource Mobilisation Committee and the Executive Committee Meeting, leading to its discussion during the Conference of Speakers.
The matter has been a contentious topic in FP-ICGLR meetings and has hindered the fair representation of Kenyan-related agendas within this important regional body.
The outstanding arrears, totalling USD 968,862, were incurred between 2012 and 2015, a period during which Kenya was not actively participating in FP-ICGLR activities and was thus a dormant contributor.
Hon. Kingi urged the Conference of Speakers to recognise that Kenya has not defaulted on its subscription fees in the past decade, during which it has been an active Member State. He emphasised that serious consideration should be given to the fact that the accrued arrears originated from a time when the country was not involved in FP-ICGLR activities.
In previous correspondence with the FP-ICGLR, Kenya also proposed the establishment of a technical committee to review the annual subscription payable by the Parliament of Kenya, with the aim of aligning it with comparable contributions from other Member States.
Kenya’s annual subscription is significantly high, based on its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is substantially greater than that of many other Member States.
The Conference of Speakers also confirmed that Tanzania will provide the next Secretary-General of the FP-ICGLR. Kenya and Burundi, the other two eligible countries for the position, were disqualified due to a legal technicality.
Both Kenya and Burundi, which had put forward candidates for the role, were disqualified after it was revealed that they had seconded staff to the FP-ICGLR Secretariat at the time of their candidate nominations, in violation of the Internal Rules and Regulations 2023.
According to the rules, eligible countries may submit up to three names for the position, from which the final nominee is selected for appointment during the FP-ICGLR Assembly Plenary.
Kenya nominated Hon. Boniface Okhiya, Ms. Nahida Athman Mohamed, and Hon. Adan Haji Ali.
Following today’s decision, the Secretary-General will be announced tomorrow during the Plenary Session from Tanzania’s list, which includes Hon. Amb. Liberata Mulamula and Mr. Sitta Ngissa.
The position is currently held in an acting capacity by Zambia’s Mr. Ronald Mwelwa Tembo.
The Kenyan delegation, led by Speaker Kingi, includes Mandera Senator Ali Roba, Nyeri Senator Wahome Wamatinga, nominated Senator Hezena Lemaletian, and Buuri MP Hon. Mugambi Rindikiri.
The Conference will conclude on Friday, April 25, 2025.
