National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula was on Saturday elected to the advisory panel of the Conference of Speakers and Presidents of African Legislatures (CoSPAL) during its second general assembly meeting since its establishment in 2020.
CoSPAL is a newly formed African Legislative organisation that brings together legislative leaders across Africa to address common challenges facing the continent.
The appointment was made in Wetangula’s absence as he was otherwise occupied, attending the funeral of Tharaka Mp Gitonga Murugara's mother.
Ugenya Member of Parliament David Ochieng, who is also a member of the speakers panel, represented him in the event attended by over 10 Speakers, 20 Deputy Speakers and Vice Presidents of Legislatures from African nations.
"The Kenyan National Assembly Speaker has been legislator for over three decades. Apart from being a committed and dedicated public servant, he is also a great Pan-Africanist. He is best suited for the role,” MP Ochieng said when accepting the appointment.
Wetangula, who was unanimously elected, will be tasked with guiding CoSPAL on matters of policy and program direction.
Held in Accra, Ghana, the participants in attendance also discussed crucial matters including a draft Constitution that they later adopted. They further agreed that the headquarters and the secretariat would be based in Abuja, Nigeria.
The Advisory Panel that Wetangula joins will consist of up to 10 members according to the new constitution and will include five current Speakers or Presidents of Parliaments and five former Speakers.
Besides advising the General Assembly and Executive Committee on policy and programs, the panel will also be responsible for sharing experiences, guiding conflict management and resolution, and serving as a standby group for election monitoring and observation.
The new constitution also defined 3 other key organs within the organisation including; the general assembly, the executive committee, and the secretariat.
Membership to CoSPAL is open to all African Union (AU) member states and all substantive or former Speakers or Presidents of an African legislature, and their deputies are eligible to join.
This is all in a bid to establish close ties with the African Union and other international and inter-parliamentary organizations to address shared challenges in the continent.
Other objectives of CoSPAL include; fostering collaboration and cooperation among Speakers and legislative leaders across Africa.
