Uganda on Thursday sent a team of 448 lawmakers and staff to participate in the parliamentary games of the East African Community (EAC), a regional bloc, which will be held in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.
Speaker of Parliament Anita Among flagged off 348 legislators and 100 staff members for the 13th edition of the East African Community Inter-Parliamentary Games.
“I want to thank you so much for going to these games. Use the games to widen, deepen and tighten the the principles of the East African Community,” said Among while seeing off the sports teams in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. “We are off to take our rightful place (defend)
as the conquerors of the region. Bring all the trophies.”
The two-week games, which include soccer, netball and volleyball, will kick off on Dec. 8-19, under the theme “For a progressive, peaceful and all-inclusive EAC.”
Asuman Basalirwa, the chairperson of Uganda’s Parliamentary Sports Club, said the games aim to popularize the EAC integration agenda.
“These games aim to popularise the EAC, to explain the processes of integration and help each other to understand why it’s important to integrate,” said Basalirwa. “So, the expectation is that we are going to represent our country, their aspects of socialization, networking, building synergies as MPs from the region.”
Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Burundi — and the regional assembly, the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), will take part in this year’s edition of the games.
