Mwala MP Vincent Musyoka Kawaya anchors Team Kenya 4x4 men relay to victory during last year's games /FILE
Nine countries and regional institutions will converge in Arusha, Tanzania, for the 16th East African Community Inter-Parliamentary Games, scheduled for December 4 to 15.
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) will compete in the annual sporting extravaganza at various venues across the Tanzanian city. The Games will feature football, netball, basketball, golf, darts, athletics and tug of war, with all disciplines adopting a league format. Uganda will arrive as the defending overall champions after retaining the title last year.
The Ugandans also won the 2024 edition staged in Mombasa, Kenya, with Kenya finishing second. Uganda dominated last year’s competition, winning gold in men’s football and basketball, women’s basketball, darts, golf and the athletics team category.
Kenya claimed gold in men’s volleyball, men’s darts, men’s golf, men’s and women’s tug of war, and the athletics team category. A fierce contest is expected between perennial rivals Kenya and Uganda, while hosts Tanzania and EALA will be keen to challenge the established order.
This year’s Games will be held under the theme, “Umoja Wetu, Utajiri Wetu” (Our Unity, Our Wealth). The competition will also mark the full deployment of a new Digital Registration Application developed by Kenyan ICT officer Amos Kimathi.
EALA will receive the application rights after technical capacity-building. The EAC Bureau of Speakers, chaired by Somalia Speaker Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, oversees the Games. Kenya’s National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula and Senate Speaker Amason Kingi are members.
EALA Speaker Joseph Ntakirutimana said the Games provide an important platform for promoting unity, friendship, cultural exchange and regional integration among East African legislators and parliamentary staff. “Hosting them here in Arusha, at the heart of the Community, carries deep symbolic meaning,” Ntakirutimana said.
