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Gulu parliament sitting to prioritize northern Uganda issues
Parliament Speaker Anita Among lays wreath on the grave of her predecessor in Omoro District on August 27, 2024, ahead of the House's sitting in Gulu City. PHOTO/HANDOUT
What you need to know:
- Several parliament committees, which recently traversed the region, are expected to table their findings.
Regional parliamentary sittings start with Wednesday’s opening plenary in Gulu City to prioritize critical issues affecting the development of Uganda’s northern region, authorities have said.
On Tuesday, Parliament Speaker Annet Anita Among told journalists that the Gulu sitting will be expected to tackle matters regarding animal compensation, the Apaa land conflict, transitional justice policy and the balaalo question, among others.
“The issue of compensation is very sticky, and we have been giving money every financial year. We want to know where this money is going. One of the issues in the report is on compensation, and we don’t want these old people to die before they get their money,” Among said.
According to her, several parliament committees which recently traversed the region, are supposed to table their reports on findings.
“The committees are supposed to report to the House (today). Those are the reports we are going to discuss [today]. During the budgeting process, we are supposed to budget according to the issues that affect the region,” Among emphasized.
She added: “That is why we want to have sub-regional sittings because the problems in the north are different from those in Western region. We will sit, we will pass resolutions, and they will be binding, we are going to discuss with sanity, without playing to the gallery.”
State Minister for Northern Uganda Dr Kenneth Omona is expected to present a report on the major issues blocking the development in northern Uganda, per the order paper.
While the sectoral committee on physical infrastructure will hold a presentation on the state of transport infrastructure (roads, bridges, railways and airfields) in northern Uganda, the sectoral committee on Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries will also table a report on the state of water for production facilities in the same area.
Other reports to be discussed include that of the sectoral committee on Tourism, Trade and Industry regarding the state and prospects of tourism sites in northern Uganda. The standing committee on Government Assurances will table a report on the status of government assurances on the compensation of victims of war and insurgencies in the sub-regions of West Nile, Acholi, Lango, Karamoja, Teso and Sebei.
The sectoral committee on Education and Sports will also table a report on the state of public universities, tertiary institutions, seed secondary schools and public sports facilities in northern Uganda.
Gilbert Olanya, the Kilak County MP said: “I’m very confident that all questions of the people in northern Uganda will be solved. People with nodding disease have been suffering and dying 20 years down the road.”
“We are aware that the government promised to be providing food to those children and up to now they’re not doing so and to construct houses to those children and dint do so.”
Regional parliament sittings are expected to cost Uganda over Shs20 billion.
