Ex-Eala speaker to focus on Fifa ethics job

Arusha. For Martin Karoli Ngoga, the former Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (Eala), the die is not cast.

The end of his five year tenure over the weekend would likely open more avenues for him to serve the region and beyond.

Asked where he would be heading after his tour of duty at the East African Community (EAC), he was quick to reveal his passion and where he rightly belonged.

“You know or might not know. I am the chairman of the Fifa Ethics Committee and a member of the Committee since 2007,” he said.

He told The Citizen over the weekend that before the dust settles upon his exit, he would for some time focus on his Fifa job.

He said as a Rwanda national and politician he has no doubt that his government would assign him other duties given his status.

“But for now my eyes would be on my assignment at Fifa being the chairman of the ethics organ,” he said.

The committee is one of the three judicial organs of the Zurich-based world soccer body organized in two chambers.

Two of them are the Investigatory Chamber and the Adjudicatory Chamber. The third is the Disciplinary Committee.

Mr Ngoga, a lawyer, said the Ethics Committee of the world soccer body has lately been on the offensive in the fight against corruption in Fifa ranks and soccer management globally.

He was recently in Doha for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in his capacity as the Ethics Committee Chair but had to rush back to Arusha.

On his tenure at Eala, he said it was not an easy ride given the challenges that the EAC was subjected to in the last few years.

These include scarcity of financial resources that badly-hit the inter-governmental organization and Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the period between 2013 and 2021 was the most challenging for the EAC due to differences between some partner states to the point of open hostility.

“We were able to find a solution together with my colleagues. We have peacefully concluded our mandate,” he said.

Mr Ngoga has held key positions in the Rwanda government prior to being elected a member of the Regional Assembly.

Between 2006 and 2011 he was the Prosecutor General at a time of a massive hunt for key suspects of the Rwanda genocide for prosecution at home and Arusha.

From March 2015, he served as an Eala member for his country before he was elected Speaker of the fifth Assembly in December 2017.

The fifth Eala which was inaugurated yesterday (Monday) will elect a new Speaker today (Tuesday) to replace Mr Ngoga.