In what is being hailed as a major milestone for East African regional integration, nine representatives from the Federal Republic of Somalia were officially sworn into the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) on Monday. During a special hybrid ceremony held at the assembly’s headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, Somalia successfully concluded a two-year journey marked by legal and administrative hurdles since formally joining the East African Community (EAC) as its eighth member in November 2023.
The new representatives took their oaths of office following a landmark ruling by the East African Court of Justice in January, which dismissed challenges regarding the nomination process in Mogadishu and overturned previous orders that had stalled the appointments.
Somalia’s Ambassador to the EAC, Ilyas Ali Hassan, described the swearing-in as a “historic political victory” for the Somali people. Although Somalia has been eager to integrate its 17 million citizens into the regional market since joining the bloc, its seats in Arusha remained vacant for months due to domestic legal disputes.
Ambassador Hassan noted that while the selection process was rigorous and faced significant regional court challenges, justice ultimately prevailed. He confirmed that the representatives are now ready to advocate for Somalia’s interests, particularly in maritime trade and security—sectors vital to the prosperity of the entire region.
Despite the celebratory atmosphere in Arusha, the Somali delegation joins the assembly during a period of severe financial instability for the institution. It was revealed that the East African Community is owed $89.37 million in unpaid contributions from member states.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo leads the list of debtors with $27 million, followed by Burundi, South Sudan, and Somalia respectively. Currently, only Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda have fulfilled their financial obligations for the 2025/2026 fiscal year.
This cash crunch has forced the assembly to conduct sessions online to save on travel costs and has resulted in salary delays for staff and legislators of up to four months.
To address this recurring financial crisis, EAC heads of state recently resolved to overhaul the bloc’s funding structure. During the 25th Ordinary Summit held on March 7, leaders agreed to move away from the “equal contribution” model in favor of a new system based on each country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), set to take effect in July 2026.
