Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has challenged assertions by Cabinet that Members of Parliament (MPs) were bribed to impede the merger of certain agencies back to their respective ministries.
Durung plenary on Tuesday, Speaker Among vehemently defended the integrity of the legislative process and demanded accountability from Ministers who criticized parliamentary decisions behind closed doors.
“If Ministers think MPs aren’t doing anything in Uganda, then they should close Parliament,”She asserted
She revealed that Parliament had extensively reviewed 29 RAPEX Bills, with 22 bills successfully passed, 8 rejected, and 7 withdrawn by the Executive. The Speaker instead urged the Executive to thoroughly address MPs’ concerns, particularly regarding issues such as defective certificates of financial implications and the impact of agency rationalization on service delivery.
“When we hear members having idle talks in Cabinet that members are being bribed, members are here, why don’t you come and argue in the House?” Speaker Among challenged.
She said engaging directly within the parliamentary process rather than making unsubstantiated claims is better. She further noted that legislative work occurs within the House, not in Cabinet discussions.
Speaker Among also pinned ministers for not attending parliamentary sessions regularly to participate actively in legislative matters. She defended the role of Parliament as essential to effective governance, dismissing criticisms that undermine the institution’s significance.
“When you continue having those idle talks that Parliament is useless, we aren’t and we shall not be,” Speaker Among declared
In response to perceived unfair treatment of RAPEX Bills, Speaker Among invited the Executive to resubmit the bills for reconsideration, saying that Parliament is willing to address concerns transparently and diligently.
“If you feel hurt that the RAPEX Bills were done unfairly, come back bring back the Bills, the House will still look at them if it means considering them, it will do it,” said Among
Parliament mid this month approved the rationalisation of several government agencies during a session chaired by the Speaker. Among the approved measures included transferring the Warehouse Receipt System Authority to the Ministry of Trade Industries and Cooperatives to enhance management efficiency and save government expenditure. Additionally, the Export Promotions Board was merged with the Uganda Free Zones Authority, forming the Uganda Free Zone and Exports Promotions Authority, following the repeal of the Uganda Exports Promotions Act. Furthermore, Parliament adopted bills to repeal the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre Act and merge UWEC with UWA under the Uganda Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2024.
The rationalisation aims to streamline coordination and optimise resource allocation within Uganda’s public sector.
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