Today in history: Parliament building opened
What you need to know:
- The new Parliament building was constructed to comfortably accommodate at least 100 members but that number has more than quadrupled.
On this day in 1960, the new Parliament building was officially opened for the Members of Paliament, shortly after construction was concluded.
The building was opened by the British Secretary of State for Colonies, who was also a member of the British Parliament, Iain Macleod. There was a long procession led by the Sergeant-At-Arms, the Clerk and then Speaker of Parliament John Griffin.
They walked from the former Town Hall, which served as the Legislative Council (Legco), a few metres from the new building. The Legco had been moved from Entebbe Town, where it had been since its inception in 1921, to Kampala in 1930.
In Kampala, the Legco hired the Kampala Town Hall, which housed the headquarters of the Kampala Town Council.
The new Parliament building was constructed to comfortably accommodate at least 100 members but that number has more than quadrupled. Expansion is underway.
