Election fever: MPs skipping parliament to campaign for 2016 elections
What you need to know:
Ms Ogwal said it is important that the House be properly constituted. “We are all interested in this Bill. We believe the House must be properly constituted when we discuss the Bill. Now the chairperson has said some clauses have been passed. He forgot to add that they have been passed without quorum. If you insist that it must be passed, we must qualify it by adding ‘without quorum’,” said Ms Ogwal
PARLIAMENT.
The pressure of preparations ahead of the 2016 general election is taking its toll on MPs, with many now skipping plenary sessions in Kampala to go upcountry and campaign for re–election.
Hardly 60 minutes into yesterday’s session, Mr Jacob Oulanyah, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, adjourned the House, first for 15 minutes, and then to next week, on account of lack of quorum.
It remains to be seen whether if next week, when Ugandans would have inched even closer to the nominations and the campaigns for parliamentary seats, the current MPs will find time to attend plenary.
The House Business Committee last week said by the end of September 2015, MPs must have debated and passed 12 Bills. So far, it has passed the Public Private Partnership Bill, 2014.
They are also expected to consider six accountability reports, eight loan requests, four petitions, three select committee reports and two motions.
Yesterday’s adjournment happened when the House was looking at the Anti–Corruption Amendment Bill, 2013, which seeks to provide for the confiscation of property of persons convicted of graft.
Issue of quorum
However, minutes after Mr Oulanyah had asked the MPs to vote on proposed amendments to clauses three, four, five, six and seven, Ms Beatrice Anywar, the Kitgum Woman MP and Ms Cecilia Ogwal, the Dokolo Woman representative, raised the issue of quorum.
“The Bill we are considering is important. With reference to Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, and the members currently in the House, wouldn’t it be procedurally right that we ascertain the quorum that should enable us to pass this Bill?” Ms Anywar asked.
Ms Ogwal said it is important that the House be properly constituted. “We are all interested in this Bill. We believe the House must be properly constituted when we discuss the Bill. Now the chairperson has said some clauses have been passed. He forgot to add that they have been passed without quorum. If you insist that it must be passed, we must qualify it by adding ‘without quorum’,” said Ms Ogwal.
Mr Oulanyah deferred debate on the Bill, and allowed Mr Muwanga Kivumbi, the Butambala MP, to rise on a matter of national importance.Mr Kivumbi wanted the Internal Affairs ministry to explain the killing of Muslim clerics.
From December 2012 to date, more than 10 clerics have been killed, with the police at one point claiming elements linked to Allied Democratic Front rebel group is responsible for the killings.
After Mr Kivumbi’s presentation, the Deputy Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes. When MPs returned to the chamber, Mr Oulanyah adjourned the House to Tuesday.
