National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi will serve as East Africa Community chairman for the speaker for the next year.
Muturi, who is serving the second term as speaker of the assembly, was last year also picked as chairman of Commonwealth speakers association
He took over from Burundi’s Pascal Nyabenda on Tuesday during the forum’s 13th annual meeting in Uganda’s capital Kampala.
In his acceptance speech, Muturi hailed the regional leadership for bestowing owner on him, adding that he's ready to serve.
“I have to express my thanks and gratitude to this pleasant surprise and the honour that you have bestowed on me,” he said as quoted by the East African.
South Sudan’s National Assembly Speaker Anthony Lino Makana was supposed to take over but he had already resigned back at home.
Uganda’s Speaker of the National Assembly Rebecca Kadaga said the East African Community experiences some challenges due to member states skipping activities.
“We haven’t got an explanation as to why the delegation of Rwanda is not even at the [EALA] games. I have also noted that they were also not in Burundi and also they are not in the Cecafa games in Kampala,” she added.
Among others, the speaker will now organise forums that bring together member states in which issues affecting the countries are discussed.