What Boniface Byanyima said in Parliament

The late Boniface Byanyima was a Democratic Party stalwart and a Member of Parliament representing North East Ankole constituency in Uganda’s first Parliament. The First parliament lasted from October 10, 1962 until February 1971 after the January 25, 1971 coup in which Idi Amin became the third president of Uganda and suspended Parliament.
From the Parliament of Uganda Hansard, the late Byanyima proves to be an excellent debater according to the “Official reports of the Proceedings of the National Assembly”.

On opposing government excessive expenditure
“The honourable Mr [Felix] Onama told the House that whenever there is an election, ministers and prime minister must go to that election in order to explain their policy. That means that these people can claim mileage, they can claim everything because they are on duty, that is what it means.
Recently, during the Ankole elections, the prime minister went around. He toured western region, of course there was an election in Ankole, Onama called it a coincidence. He [Obote] toured Lango when there was an election and he called it a coincidence. Then he went to Bukedi to tour there, there was an election and he called it a coincidence.

Now, Mr Speaker, I am going to assume that those are coincidences; I agree that those are coincidences, but I am going to explain what I saw in Ankole.
When the prime minister came there, I was at one place in Buganda, I had gone to do some campaigning there. I was making my own bridge because there was no bridge and the prime minister was from his campaign and there was a long line of cars of about two miles.
And when the prime minister passed me, he saw me and when he went to Mbarara Town; when he was talking there, he said: ‘Byanyima is a bad man, because when I passed him, he did not wave to me’ (laughter).

I found it very difficult to wave to 100 cars. I waved at the leading ones but by the time I got to the middle ones I was tired and went to my job. (Laughter).
The point I am driving at Mr Speaker, is you can imagine how much money was spent on that campaign of the prime minister. There was Special Force, the police, some chiefs, the Kihimba and all the ministers and politicians in Ankole following. And of course, this is taken by UPC as an official tour.
Everybody is now using government money. That is what is happening when the prime minister goes on tour at a place where there is an election.”
Hansard December 18, 1964, on the motion: Government and public service

On equal rights
“Mr Speaker, discrimination is immoral because it denies the equality and happiness to a section of our community on the basis of their tribe or religion, or because they happen to belong to such and such a political party.
Mr Speaker, discrimination in the public service terms some people in this country as second class citizens. Every year, Mr Speaker, on December 10, Uganda celebrates United Nations Human Rights Day and pledges ourselves to uphold these rights.
Last year, Mr Speaker, as in other preceding years, the then prime minister made pledges to uphold fundamental human rights,. Was he sincere or not? That is a question I am putting to the minister?
Mr Speaker, one of the reasons for the establishment and existence of the United Nations was in order to re-affirm faith in fundamental human rights. Mr Speaker, I have got this book with me. (Laughter)… Mr Speaker, Article 21(2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on page 11,010 says: ‘Everyone has a right of equal access to public service in his country’.

Article 2, Mr speaker, in this book on page 11,008 says: ‘Everyone is entitled to hold the right and freedom set forth in the declaration without distinction of any kind such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion.’
This, Mr Speaker, therefore means that everyone in this country ought to enjoy the right of equal access to the public service his country without being discriminated against because on Sunday, Saturday or Friday he goes to a certain place for worship”.
Hansard, December 2, 1963

On discrimination by UPC government
“Now, a few days ago, I mentioned another matter in Ankole. I said the people who are now being recruited to work on the road, Mbarara-Kabale road, which is to be made, are only UPC and I mentioned this point to the minister so that he may look into it.
I told him what I had personally [witnessed], how I had approached an Italian manager and his clerk who was doing the recruitment.
And when the minister stood up to reply, he merely stated that these people have to employ UPC because DP may be lazy. Now, DP may be lazy but even then, the person who is doing recruitment should have asked all the people to come and be recruited from UPC, from DP and anybody, and if any were found lazy, they could be dismissed, and only UPC, if they are the people who are active, could be employed.”

“Mr Speaker, all of us are paying taxes. The DP are paying taxes, UPC are paying taxes, Kabaka Yekka (KY) are paying taxes, Independents are paying taxes. I do not see any reason why only UPC have got to get jobs in the government in order to be enabled to pay taxes.
As a matter of fact, we of the Democratic Party, plus the Independents and KY, we pay more taxes than the UPC. Mr Speaker, the UPC people are only about 30 per cent of the population of Uganda, the Democratic Party plus KY form 70 per cent of the taxpayers of Uganda.
Mr Speaker, I am saying this in order to ask my friend, the minister who is in charge of this, to inquire into this matter and if he wishes, I will pass this to him. This is not my document”.
Hansard December 18, 1964, on the motion: Government and public service.

“Mr Speaker, this is serious matter. It goes to show how much discrimination there is in this country, not only in civil service but also in private firms. We have got a lot of it in Uganda. And this is only an isolated case.
Now I can challenge any minister here who wants to go with me. I am going to Mbarara tonight so that I can prove to him that I spoke to this manager of the company that employs only the UPC.”
Hansard December 18, 1964, on the motion: Government and public service.

On treatment of cattle in Nyabushozi County
“Is the minister [of Animal Industry, Game and Fisheries] aware that the people of Nyabushozi County in Ankole are finding it financially impossible to pay for treatment of their cattle every two months?
Would the minister consider making this treatment free? Would the minister tell this House how long this compulsory treatment continue?
Is the minister aware, Sir, that these cattle are treated when they are not positive; they are treated just because the treatment has to be carried out as an order from above?
During Question Time, November 14, 1962

On political violence in Buganda
“Mr Speaker, I wanted to bring another quotation from Uganda Argus to prove that it is not Mr [Benedicto] Kiwanuka who is causing trouble in Buganda, but other people are doing that. This appears in the Uganda Argus of the February 7, 1961.
Mr speaker, I think what I have said on this subject is enough to show to the honourable members that it is not Mr Kiwanuka who is causing difficulties in Buganda or causing confusion in Buganda, but something deeper, something wrong with Kabaka Yekka.
I want to refer very briefly to another statement which was made by the minister of Animal Industry, who was called a minister of animals by his own colleague. Regarding the Ankole tsetse fly eradiation scheme, we have heard of this many times in this House. The minister has said it so many times that one wonders whether he has been introducing a new scheme or whether he has the same scheme which he has been talking about every time he comes in the House.

I would like to explain the position about the scheme. This tsetse fly eradication was prepared and planned by the Democratic Party government. The DP had intended to introduce this scheme in Ankole last May [1961]. Unfortunately, DP was not returned to power.”
During Question Time, November 14, 1962

On motion: 1966/67 estimates of expenditure Ministry of Regional Administration
“Today there is a lot of politics. Everywhere you go there is politics. There is politics in the district councils. In office there is politics, in the markets there is politics, in the shops there is politics that a person who is not UPC must be DP, a village which is not UPC must be DP and even a dog must be either DP or UPC and this is very bad. That is why you have got so much division in the districts.”
Hansard, June 29, 1966

On motion: State of emergency in Tooro (to extend period)
“Mr Speaker, this subject [seeking to declare a state of emergency in Tooro Kingdom] is almost exhausted, but I stood up to speak because I too, like my friend [Alex Latim] who has just resumed his seat, oppose this motion, although most members on our side have supported it.
“I am very much interested in seeing this trouble over. I am very, very sorry to see Tooro Kingdom being torn to pieces by self-seekers. I am now being asked to state my policy or advice.
I have stated two things; First, that the first and foremost thing is that the troublemakers who are making subversive statements everyday – Mr Mupalya, Mr Mukirane and Mr Kawamara – must be removed from Tooro.

Mr Speaker, when there was disorder in Buganda some time ago, Mr Binaisa was removed from Buganda and then there was peace. I have always stated that as long as these people are still in Tooro and others preaching the gospel of violence, there will not be peace.
Mr Speaker, we are asked to extend this period. We have been asked several times and yet members of the government are behind the Rwenzururu Movement. Is that not silly on the part of the government to come and ask us to extend the period when they are interested in perpetuating the movement for their own reasons which we don’t know.
For these two reasons, I feel I am very much opposed to any further extension of the emergency period.”
Hansard, March 9, 1964.

Byanyima dominates House

On the floor of Parliament, Boniface Byanyima was regular and excelled. And the Hansard proves it. From October 10, 1962, when the 1st Parliament opened to December 1970 when it last sat, Byanyima was exemplary.
According to the official reports of the proceedings of the National Assembly, the longest period Byanyima lasted without appearing on the floor of Parliament was about two weeks in his eight years in the House.

Byanyima was among first to speak in the 1st Parliament
As a member of the 1st Parliament, Byanyima was the 10th legislator to take to the floor when the Parliament reconvened on November 5, 1962, having been in recess since October 10, 1962.
On that day, Byanyima during Question Time, inquired from William Kalema, the parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Education (deputy minister), about the state of engineers in Uganda.
Byanyima was the third Member of Parliament to question the parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Education.
“Would the parliamentary secretary confirm that there is still a shortage of engineers in this country?” Byanyima inquired. This is recorded in the Official Reports of the Proceedings of the National Assembly: First Session, Second meeting, November 5, 1962.

Intelligent politician
Though tough on issues both in the Parliament and outside, Byanyima knew well when to be on the move or halt.
For example, after the 1966 attack of the Mengo palace, while he previously reprimanded the UPC and Mengo governments, on the floor of the Parliament he was not on record to have said much about the May 24, 1966, Mengo attack that forced Kabaka Edward Muteesa to flee to exile.
Nonetheless, on May 26 and 27, 1966 during the passing of the motion: “Approval of the declaration of state of public emergency in the kingdom of Buganda” Byanyima and Dr F.G Sembeguya were the only members present who opposed the motion, according to the Hansard.
It was strange that on those two days, Byanyima did not make any comments. He was careful and perhaps very honest to survive Amin’s regime.

His light moments on the floor
Byanyima sometimes showed his light moments on the floor and at times made a joke or two at fellow members.
For instance, he once cracked a joke about Stanislaus Okurut, deputy minister of Works, Communication and Housing. “Mr. Speaker, I am sorry I did not mean to tease the hon minister. I must inform the House that the hon minister is my friend, we were together in the same class for many years and he used to tease me, I used to beat him hard, he used to cry like a child (laughter)” the Hansard, June 23, 1966, recorded.

While deliberating on the same day, some members booed him to which he responded: “Mr Speaker, I know, I am being heckled mainly by deputies [ministers] who are competing for a ministry which is to be available, I know.”
As a very principled politician, Mzee Byanyima as was fondly known in 1980, refused to stand on a DP ticket in Ankole – but opted to remain the party’s national chairman until 2005 when he retired.

About Boniface Byanyima

He was born in 1920 in Buhweju County in present day Buhweju District in south-western Uganda.
He had his earliest education in Buhweju and later joined Mbarara High School where he was from 1937-1941.
From 1942-1944, he was at King’s College Budo. The following year, he joined Makerere College where he was from 1945-1947. For six years, he was a teacher. From 1953-1954, he pursued a diploma in education (East Africa) external.
When the Democratic Party was formed in 1954, he joined the party’s youth wing. In 1961, he contested for the North East Ankole constituency and defeated the Uganda Peoples Congress candidate.

In the first government after independent under prime minister Benedicto Kiwanuka, Byanyima was appointed parliamentary secretary (equivalent to State minister) in the Ministry of Health.
When the Democratic Party was defeated by the Uganda Peoples Congress in the April 1962 general election, and the Democratic Party an Opposition party, Byanyima got appointed shadow minister of Local Government.
Byanyima, who was a secondary school teacher, was most known by his former students as a smart, conservative disciplinarian especially at Mbarara High School.
In 1980, he was elected the national chairman of the Democratic Party, a position he held until 2005 when he retired.