East African Legislative Assembly set for special sitting on $110.9m EAC budget
The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Speaker, Mr Joseph Ntakirutimana, presides over a sitting of the regional legislative body in a recent event. PHOTO |FILE
Arusha. The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) will hold a special virtual sitting on Monday, June 1, 2026, to table and debate the East African Community (EAC) budget estimates for the 2026/27 financial year.
The sitting, convened by the Speaker under Rule 10(2) of EALA’s Rules of Procedure, will also include the administration of the oath of allegiance to newly elected Tanzanian members of the Assembly.
During its 60th Extraordinary Meeting, the EAC Council of Ministers approved a budget of $110,863,576 for the 2026/27 financial year to support the operations of all Community organs and institutions.
The largest allocation, amounting to $59,761,146, has been earmarked for the EAC Secretariat, which coordinates the implementation of regional programmes and projects.
The allocation represents a slight increase compared with the 2025/26 financial year.
EALA has been allocated $19,162,080, slightly lower than its previous budget, while the balance will be distributed among other key EAC organs and institutions.
According to a statement issued to the media on Saturday, May 30, 2026, the Assembly will also consider a supplementary budget of $4,794,593 for the current 2025/26 financial year.
The additional funding, drawn from reserve funds and other revenues, is intended to address urgent financial requirements across various EAC institutions.
Key initiatives expected to benefit from the supplementary allocation include the EAC Pandemic Project, procurement of critical ICT equipment, and the implementation of health and environmental programmes that have faced funding gaps.
The special sitting is expected to underscore the Assembly’s oversight and budgetary responsibilities in ensuring community resources are allocated efficiently and transparently to advance regional integration and socio-economic development.
The budget estimates reflect the EAC’s strategic priorities for the coming financial year, with funding sources and specific projects attached to each vote.
Members of the Assembly are expected to scrutinise the estimates, participate in debate and provide legislative guidance on the Community’s financial direction ahead of the new financial year.
The budget will be the first to be presented under the leadership of Stephen Patrick Bundi, who assumed office as EAC Secretary General in April this year, becoming the second Tanzanian to hold the post since the Community was re-established in 1999.
