Among to slash budget for idle committees

Speaker of Parliament Anita Among. PHOTO | ALEX ESAGALA

What you need to know:

  • Ms Among was particularly irked by the failure of some committees to produce any report for more than a year.
  • The Speaker, who made the remarks during the plenary held last Tuesday, said such moves risk impending Parliament’s set targets.

The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Among, has warned the leadership of ‘idle’ committees that they will be given less funding.

Ms Among was particularly irked by the failure of some committees to produce any report for more than a year.

The Speaker, who made the remarks during the plenary held last Tuesday, said such moves risk impending Parliament’s set targets.

Besides the pledge to have the House delivered to its fullest, President Museveni already indicated that the Among-led House would have to process 62 Bills before the fall of May next year.

Some Bills have already been passed. These include the KCCA Bill and Minerals and Mining Bill, which was sent back by President Museveni more than a fortnight ago.

Ms Among cited the Equal Opportunities Committee chaired by Ms Judith Alyek as well as the HIV/Aids and Related Matters Committee led by the Namisindwa Woman MP, Ms Sarah Kayagi Netalisire, as some of the underperforming ones.

  With the approaching September recess, she has conditioned committees to scale-up their pace if the House is to stay on course.

“So far, we have concluded only one Bill yet we are meant to have gone a long way into the Bills brought by the government,” Ms Among said before demanding that “other committees should expedite work”.

“You can only be accountable when you bring the report and we have asked the clerk not to release money for committees that aren’t working,” she said.

As a way of ensuring that all legislators have an input, each MP is expected to be a member of two committees.

Defence

The Tororo Woman MP, Ms Sarah Opendi, shifted blame on ministries. “The performance of this House is also dependent on ministers. When the minister commits to bring a statement and takes three months, that also becomes a challenge on our part,” said Opendi.