President Yoweri Museveni is scheduled to address Parliament in Gulu City during the inaugural regional Parliamentary sittings scheduled to take place from August 28th to 30th at Kaunda Grounds.
According to a tentative program, released by Parliament, on August 29th, President Yoweri Museveni will address Parliament, before an official dinner is held.
Members of Parliament and staff have already started travelling to Gulu City on August 26th and 27th, 2024, for the sessions that have been merged with other activities.
The program it kicks off with a medical camp at Pece Primary School, running from August 26th to 31st, 2024.
On August 27th, the Rt. Hon. Speaker will visit Omoro to pay respects at the resting place of the late Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah, former Speaker of Parliament.
The Speaker will then officially open the medical camp and distribute donated items to Pece Primary School and Gulu Prisons P7 Primary Schools. The day’s activities also include tree planting, laying a foundation stone at Kaunda Grounds, and meetings with the Gulu Boda-Boda Riders Association and Market Women Groups.
Plenary sittings will be held on August 28th, 29th, and 30th.
Members of Parliament will depart Gulu on August 31st, while staff will leave on September 1st, 2024.
Joel Ssenyonyi, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, has been vocal about his stance on the upcoming regional parliamentary sittings. He criticizes the move, highlighting the significant financial burden it places on taxpayers, with an estimated cost of nearly 5 billion Ugandan shillings.
Ssenyonyi argues that such a large sum would be better spent on improving services like healthcare, education, and infrastructure, rather than on what he sees as a largely symbolic event.
Ssenyonyi also expressed concern that the opposition was not adequately consulted in the planning of these sessions, which further complicates their participation. He believes that empowering parliamentary committees to perform fieldwork and gather insights from communities would be a more effective and cost-efficient approach to addressing the issues facing the regions.
Additionally, Ssenyonyi warns against using tribal sentiments to justify the sittings, urging fellow MPs to focus on tangible solutions to poverty and other pressing issues in the region rather than getting sidetracked by emotional arguments
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