What lies ahead for House committees

Parliament on Tuesday constituted the different standing and sectorial committee members, almost two months after the legislators were sworn in.

The composition also marks the beginning of serious business as most of the parliamentary work is transacted at the committee level and only brought to plenary for approval.

In the run up to the selection, the National Unity Platform (NUP), the biggest Opposition party in the House, accused the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party of stifling Parliament work by deliberately refusing to name members on different committees on time.

The NRM’s action or inaction affects the operations of the legislative arm of the government.

According the list, Mr Abdu Katuntu will head the Rules, Privileges and Discipline Committee, and will be deputised by Gulu East MP Charles Onen.

Others include FUFA boss Moses Magogo, who will head the ICT and National Guidance, deputised by Igeme Nabeta (Jinja South East City).

The former minister for Public Service, Mr David Karubanga, will take on Physical Infrastructure, Dr Charles Ayume (Health Committee), Mr Fox Odoi (Human Rights), and former Tourism Minister Godfrey Kiwanda Ssubi has been nominated for the East African Legislative Assembly slot.

The Budget Committee will be headed by Mr Patrick Opolot Isiagi, Committee on National Economy goes to Mr John Ikojo Bosco, and the Equal Opportunities will be headed by Ms Judith Alyek.

Mr John Baptist Nambeshe, the Opposition Chief Whip, named a number of NUP and other Opposition members on the various committees.

They include Mr Medard Lubega Sseggona as the chairperson, Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the vice chairperson is Mr Asuman Basalirwa.

 Mr Joel Ssenyonyi will head the Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) and will be deputised by  Ms Lucy Akello . 

The chairperson of Government Assurances is Ms Betty Nambooze Bakireke, and her vice is Mr Joseph Gonzaga Sewungu.

The chairperson, Local Government Accounts committee is Mr Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, and his vice is Mr Paulson Luttamaguzi Ssemakula.

Before naming the committee members and chairpersons, MPs had suspended some of the rules that defined the numbers in each of the committees.

Mr Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda (Kira Municipality,  FDC) was the first on the floor to amend Rule 69 of the parliamentary composition.

The rule limits the numbers of the standing committees to not more than 35 and the sectoral committees to not less than 15 and not more than 30.

Mr Ssemujju said with the bloated number of Parliament, many members will be left without committees and yet the parliamentary rules require that every member should at least belong to a committee. “Standing committees says you can’t have more than 35 members yet the number of MPs has increased from 442 to 529 meaning that if we are to move with the rules, many legislators will not belong to any committee and yet the same rules demand that all MPs must at least be a member of a committee,” Mr Ssemujju said.

Mr Thomas Tayebwa, the Government Chief Whip, who moved a motion to suspend  rules 162, and 188, also said the rules are restrictive in as far as numbers of each committees are concerned.

He said based on the increasing numbers, the said rules need to be suspended so that every member belongs to a committee.

Committees of Parliament

Parliament has both standing and sectoral committees. Standing committees last two-and-half years. They are set up at the start of a new term of Parliament.

They include the Business Committee, Appointments Committee, the Budget Committee, the Committee on Government Assurance and Implementation, and the Committee on Equal Opportunities.

Sectoral committees

These are departmentally related committees, whose composition is determined at the start of each new session. Sectoral committees last one session, and members are designated by Whips and approved by the House.

The composition includes the Committee on Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs, and the Committee on East African Community Affairs.

Task ahead

The Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Mr Matthias Mpuuga, and his camp have vowed to task the government to appropriately allocate the requisite funds to the priority areas such as  vaccination, increase on the Covid relief fund and other measures key in resuscitating the economy.

Mr Ssenyonyi promised to relentlessly deliver on his mandate even when the task that awaits him is heavy.  “...Investigating corruption in Gov’t entities is no piece of cake, I’m told it’s even risky. However, God is by my side. I’ll give this role my best & I believe together with colleagues on the committee, we’ll deliver,” Mr Ssenyonyi tweeted.

STANDING COMMITTEES