MPs disagree on Sports Bill ahead of debate

On Wednesday, the public will have an opportunity to know the contents of the newly proposed Sports Bill when a harmonized report of two separate bills is presented for second reading in Parliament by the Minister of State for Sports Hon. Peter Ogwang.

In 2021, Fufa president and Member of Parliament for Budiope East Moses Magogo came up with The National Sports Bill, 2021 while government presented The Physical Activity and Sports Bill, 2022 much later.

Parliament tasked its Education and Sports Committee to review the content of the two bills, widely consult with stakeholders and present a harmonized position on the floor as the country bids to repeal the outdated 1964 National Council of Sports Act.

This position is what Ogwang tried to present yesterday before protests from committee members: Kassanda North County MP Hon. Patrick Nsamba and Kalungu County West Hon. Joseph Gonzaga Ssewungu. 

"The chairman (John Ntamuhira Twesigye, MP Bunyaruguru County ) denied us (members of the committee) an opportunity to read the (draft) report," Nsamba told the House as he asked that its presentation be deferred.

"The chairperson said that the Speaker had told him not to give us the opportunity to read the draft," he added.

Twesigye did not deny the allegations but added that they had "a retreat from February 5 to 11 at Kigo. But on the 11th, we had an exit meeting to pass through the report but Ssewungu and Nsamba were not there."

Reconcilation 
The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among initially insisted that the House hears the report and debates in case of disagreements but the duo did not bulge. She wondered why the duo would want to "suffocate the presentation" of the Committee's report, which was signed by 27 of 32 members, through technicalities yet they could have presented a minority report . 

It is then that Leader of Opposition Mathias Mpuuga guided that the Committee reconciles their issues in a private meeting before returning to the floor.

"I did not expected this Bill to be controversial. This is an innocent Bill that should attract support from all political shades but let us get to the bottom of their (Ssewungu and Nsamba) concern.

"Let us not put the chairperson against his members because they will have more Bills to work on in the future. Let us not legislate under controversy," Mpuuga, also MP of Nyendo-Mukungwe, guided.

Among agreed to have a reconcilation meeting between the two MPs and their Committe chairman at midday today then have the presentation made at 2pm.