Kasilo County Member of Parliament, Hon Elijah Okupa, has been re-elected as the Vice Treasurer of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (Africa Region) for another three-year term.
The former Parliamentary Commissioner and also former representative of Uganda to the Pan African Parliament polled 68 votes against 4 of his Mauritanian opponent.
Okupa was elected at the annual general meeting of the 49th Conference of the CPA (Africa Region) in Gaborone, Botswana, Tuesday, 21 August 2018.
Nominating Okupa, the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP), Hon Angel Didiza, said the Uganda legislator deserved to continue serving in that position because of his experience in the organization and other African legislative bodies.
“He has worked with members of the programme planning and finance committee to raise funds for the Association including investments that we have. It is during this tenure that the Association acquired property in Dar es salaam where our proposed headquarters shall be constructed,” Didiza said.
She added that “it is during this tenure that subscriptions from branches and sub regions have improved. With the improved subscriptions and increased resource mobilization, the Association will be able to move activities beyond mobilization to reaching members in their respective areas.”
In his acceptance speech, Okupa thanked the electorate for entrusting him with the position for another three years and pledged to uphold its values.
“You have put trust in me and I promise to serve you as I have done in the past. I thank the leadership of the Association, especially the women leaders, for inspiring me,” Okupa said.
The conference also saw the election of the Speaker of the Kenya National Assembly, Hon Justin Muturi, as the Chairperson of the CPA Africa Region Executive Committee.
The Conference that started on 13 August closed on Tuesday at the Gaborone International Convention Centre. Speaker Rebecca Kadaga led Uganda’s delegation to the conference.
In September 2019, Uganda will host the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference that brings together legislators from all countries of the Commonwealth.
