Prime
Kadaga releases tight schedule for MPs’ final year
The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, has drawn a programme aimed at fast-tracking pending business in the House before it adjourns for campaigns.
The schedule, which was unveiled last Thursday, will see marathon sittings for both Parliament and its committees.
Ms Kadaga said priority will be given to the legislative agenda for the 5th session of Parliament.
“It was noted that given this session covers an election year, the programme for Parliament is bound to be interrupted due to the roadmap of the general election but also the holding of party primaries,” she said.
The Speaker said the programme was agreed to “in principle.”
If all goes as planned, the House will maintain its first meeting of the 5th session run from June 4 to October 1.
“This is a legislative meeting but taking into account the forthcoming activities, we shall also combine the oversight report stage. We shall handle the bills, the statutory reports,” Ms Kadaga said.
Agenda
She added: “Committees are urged to set aside time and process as many statutory reports as possible since the MDAs (Ministries, Departments, Agencies) require feedback on their mandate.”
Parliament also plans to go for a 24-day recess starting on October 2.
The second meeting is planned to run from October 27 to December 17 to consider committee reports, and later break for Christmas from December 18 to January 4, next year.
Upon return, Parliament will hold its last meeting between January 5 and May 28, 2021.
Ms Kadaga said committees will constitute themselves into sub-committees where necessary and break up the work to cover more ground.
The Electoral Commission last week launched a new roadmap for the elections that require all candidates to hold the campaigns through the media in order to enforce social distancing guideline, a measure for curbing the spread of Covid-19.
However, a section of the public is opposed to the revised roadmap.
