First four months of 10th Parliament

KAMPALA. On Tuesday, Speaker Rebecca Kadaga suspended plenary on grounds that government has failed to generate business. Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah has also previously talked of lack of government business in the House.
It also emerged last week that ministers have been skipping plenary, meaning there are no statements, bills and motions presented. House rules give priority to government business, with private members only given Thursday to table business.
No doubt, the 10th Parliament has been a beehive of activity since the swearing in of members in May. But what have been the business of the MPs in the four months?

May registered a slow start with the State of the Nation Address and Budget reading. In June, the highlight was Butambala County MP Muwanga Kivumbi tabling a motion condemning the brutality meted out by the police on supporters of Opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, a motion that was supported by MPs across the political divide.
In an unusually apologetic statement, Internal Affairs minister Obiga Mario Kania in July admitted before Parliament that the police had committed “mistakes” in the handling of Opposition supporters and promised an investigation.

Ministerial statements have been the main feature during plenary. There have been statements raging from delay in payment of salaries for staff of public universities to police brutality. Parliament’s plenary convened for only six sittings in September, instead of the 15 planned sittings.
This came after Parliament was called off on Tuesday, August 30, after Ms Kadaga and Mr Oulanyah failed to agree on who to travel to the Uganda North American Association (Unaa) convention in the United States and only resumed on September 13. Six sittings were missed in that period. Rule 18(2) says House rules require plenary to convene every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The spat between the Speakers over the Unaa convention only touched an old sore relationship. Ms Kadaga accused Mr Oulanyah of not briefing her about what transpired in her absence when she travelled to Mauritius, leaving her with no option but to call off the House.
Parliament insists only 20 MPs, five ministers and one EALA MP travelled to the Unaa convention, disputing reports that 78 MPs travelled. When Parliament resumed on September 13 after a two-week forced break, the focus was on a motion by the Nakifuma County MP Robert Ssekitoleko seeking leave to table a private members Bill on the tenure of judges. This was the highlight of September as MPs across the divide rejected Mr Sekitoleko’s motion.

Ms Kadaga earned applause by ruling that there was no urgency for the Bill and directed the architects to wait for the government to table a comprehensive Constitutional Amendment Bill. To illustrate how controversial the Bill was, Ms Kadaga last week told Kampala-based Bilal FM that Mr Oulanyah was the brainchild of Mr Ssekitoleko’s Constitutional Amendment Bill.
The following day, the debate shifted to what MPs perceive as negative media coverage, the Shs200m car grant and a proposal to allocate Shs68m for the burial of each MP. Angered by the coverage of the money bonanza at Parliament, Ms Kadaga directed the Rules, Discipline and Privileges Committee to investigate the journalists.

Below are the highlights of the first four months of 10th Parliament.

Bills tabled
The Leadership Code (amendment) Bill, 2016.
The Uganda National Health Laboratory Services Bill, 2016.
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Treaty Implementation Bill, 2016.

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