NUP Retains Ssenyonyi as 12th Parliament Begins Business

The 12th Parliament has today commenced its plenary sittings, with major business lined up for consideration.

Today’s sitting, chaired by the Speaker, Rt Hon Oboth Oboth, focuses on the approval of the Vice President, Prime Minister and Leader of Government Business, changes to the Cabinet structure, and committee appointments.

The development comes days after President Yoweri Museveni announced a new Cabinet, retaining H.E. Jessica Alupo as Vice President and Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabanja as Prime Minister.

Earlier today, the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), which commands the highest number of opposition MPs in Parliament, also retained Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi as the Leader of Opposition (LOP).

Under the opposition committee leadership arrangements, Hon. Betty Nambooze Bakireke has been appointed Chairperson of the Local Government Committee, Hon. Francis Zaake will chair the Government Assurances Committee, Hon. Muwada Nkunyingi takes over the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), Hon. Nsamba Patrick will chair the Public Accounts Committee, Hon. Paul Mwiru becomes the Opposition Chief Whip, while Hon. John Baptist Nambeshe has been appointed Commissioner of Parliament.

Today’s sitting follows a three-day orientation programme during which newly elected members were taken through various aspects of parliamentary work, including attendance of sittings, debates, and parliamentary allowances, among other matters.

During the orientation, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa urged legislators to conduct themselves with proper decorum while serving on committees. He advised MPs against piling excessive amounts of food on their plates during official functions, saying such conduct projects a negative image, especially in a country where many citizens struggle to secure daily meals.

The Deputy Speaker also cautioned MPs against financial indiscipline, urging them to live within their means and avoid treating parliamentary leaders as “ATMs,” warning that such tendencies could create fertile ground for abuse of funds within Parliament’s administration.

He further urged legislators to be mindful of their public conduct, noting that advances in technology and the rise of social media have increased public scrutiny of MPs.

Meanwhile, the Clerk to Parliament, Adolf Mwesige, revealed that Parliament has already procured iPads valued at approximately UGX 2.5 million each for MPs. He said legislators are expected to begin receiving the devices soon, with Parliament’s ICT department set to train them on their use.

Mwesige also warned MPs against missing parliamentary sittings without permission from the Speaker, noting that political opponents closely monitor their conduct and may use absenteeism as grounds to seek their recall from Parliament.

On matters of travel, the Clerk informed MPs that the days of queuing at embassies to process visas for official travel abroad would soon be eased, explaining that Parliament’s Protocol Office would handle much of the process during the next five years.

Henry Kamya Makumbi, the MP for Mityana South, welcomed the proposal to have funds for inland and foreign travel allocated directly to parliamentary committees. He argued that MPs should not have to line the corridors of the Speaker’s offices seeking travel approvals when committees already have allocated budgets for such engagements.

Meanwhile, Peter Paul Emaju, the MP for Kasilo County in Serere District, asked Parliament’s administration to clarify whether the budget for foreign travel also caters for MPs’ spouses accompanying them on official trips.

In response, Clerk to Parliament Adolf Mwesige said the travel budget only caters for MPs and not their spouses. He explained that this arrangement can only change if the Administration of Parliament Act is amended to extend such privileges to spouses.