Government Assurance Committee Tasked to Address Unfulfilled Pledges

The leader of the opposition in parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, has urged the leadership of the Government Assurance Committee of Parliament to exert all possible efforts to ensure the relevance of the committee for Ugandans, helping them understand its importance.

In his message to the committee members currently attending a two-day residential workshop at Imperial Golf View Hotel in Entebbe, conveyed through the Commissioner of Parliament and also former LoP Mathias Mpuuga, Ssenyonyi asked the members to grasp the duties and responsibilities of the committee.

On his behalf, Commissioner Hon. Mathias Mpuuga appealed to the committee leadership to allocate resources and ample time for members to visit their constituencies and unearth all unfulfilled pledges, presenting them to the committee for follow-up.

Mpuuga highlighted that government’s numerous pledges have transformed into enduring falsehoods, necessitating exposure. He also urged the committee to summon the Manifesto Implementation Unit to provide updates on government pledges and implementations.

Furthermore, Mpuuga emphasized the importance of utilizing the technical team, essential for the committee’s operations.

A former Arua Municipality MP, one of the facilitators of the ongoing workshop, encouraged committee members to exhibit resilience and firmness in scrutinizing government pledges, despite intimidations and threats from the ruling government. He also urged the committee leadership to be truthful, vigilant, corruption-free, and transparent in sharing information with other members.

Dr. Abed Bwanika, the committee chairperson, revealed that MPs are grappling with unfulfilled pledges from the NRM government dating back to 1986. He announced plans for the committee to conduct tours to various areas where government pledges have been made to assess their implementation, including the Lubowa Super Specialized Hospital.

Dr. Abed Bwanika pledged to request the Speaker of Parliament to allocate special time in plenary sittings for MPs to raise these pledges, ensuring they are appropriately addressed.

The vice-chairperson of the committee, Hon. Joyce Bagala, disclosed that the committee had invited the Prime Minister and Minister for the Presidency to address the committee regarding the magnitude of pending and fulfilled government pledges.