Mbabazi, Kadaga push for 2-tier Parliament

Former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi and Parliament Speaker Rebecca Kadaga are pushing for a bicameral legislature for Uganda and want an additional Upper House introduced.

The proposal seeks to divide the legislators into two separate Houses, with directly elected members serving as a primary point of legislation, while the Upper House will offer advice and direction to the country on legislative matters.

The plan was mooted at a dinner for MPs of the 9th Parliament at the Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala on Friday night.
The 9th Parliament ran from 2011-2016, with Mr Mbabazi as Leader of Government Business and Ms Kadaga as Deputy Speaker.
Mr Mbabazi was invited as a guest speaker at the function that was presided over by Ms Kadaga.

Mr Mbabazi said the Upper House will be composed of “knowledgeable former MPs and other personnel of expertise” to streamline the country’s socio-economic and political agenda.

He also said as a Constituent Assembly (CA) delegate, he had proposed a Council of State as a second tier assembly but the idea was defeated on grounds of financial implications.
The CA, which lasted more than a year (1994-1995) was established to discuss and debate the Draft Constitution and make a new constitution for Uganda.

It was dissolved on October 8, 1995, with the proclamation of the new Constitution.
“We should have a forum where people of wisdom, people of experience can channel in a practical way their collective skills, knowledge and experience for the benefit of the country,” Mr Mbabazi said.

In the absence of such a forum, Mr Mbabazi said former MPs should form an association through which they will advance their views to the different policy making organs of the country, especially where they feel, things should be done differently.

Mr Mbabazi was backed by Kabula County MP John Kakooza, who said debate in the 10th Parliament was cold because of absence of experienced legislators with institutional memory.
“It is high time we thought of a second chamber of Parliament because this is a huge human resource with institutional memory,” Mr Kakooza said.

He said he has done some research and had handed over the findings to Parliament for consideration.
The Speaker, in her reply supported calls for a special chamber to accommodate such brains and expertise.
“The Upper House is really necessary; there is so much knowledge in this body that we need to harness,” she said.

Mr Mbabazi said in nation building, political differences need not interfere with the shared vision for posterity.
Addressing Ms Kadaga directly, former premier Mbabazi said despite their known public differences, he has nothing personal against the person of Ms Kadaga.

The Speaker also advised the MPs to always plan for their lives after Parliament.
The need for a special chamber is also premised on fears that MPs become unemployable after losing their seats, despite their intellectual ability to constructively contribute to nation building.

Former MPs asked Ms Kadaga to ask the President to redeploy them since some of them are still energetic. The forum for former MPs is chaired by Mr Tanna Sanjay, the immediate former Tororo Municipality MP.

Advice
Justice James Ogoola of the Elders Forum said the MPs dilemma was self-inflicted.
He accused them of making irrational decisions on the one hand and creating a false impression of themselves on the other. Justice Ogoola challenged the law makers to always plan for their exit, rather than living as victims of political enslavement.
“The retirement of an MP is a dramatic thing, it comes at a time when you least expect it, it comes at a time when instead of rejoicing, you shed a tear or two,” he said.

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