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Major tasks awaiting Speaker Oulanyah in Parliament
The new Speaker of Parliament, Mr Jacob Oulanyah, and Mr Pius Biribonwoha, the General Counsel to Parliament, during Mr Oulanyah’s courtesy visit to different directorates on Tuesday. PHOTO | DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- The 11th Parliament kicked off with Speaker Jacob Oulanyah visiting different directorates of Parliament on Tuesday. Franklin Draku & Yasiin Mugerwa explore some of the hot button issues that Oulanyah must handle to steer the House in the right direction.
As Speaker Jacob Oulanyah takes full charge of the Legislature, in the midst of an acrimonious vote that sent his former boss Rebecca Kadaga (Kamuli Woman) packing, the man from Omoro now faces a cocktail of challenges.
On the shoulders of the Speaker of the 11th Parliament now falls the responsibility of stitching back together a polarised House, young members, staff divisions and intrigue, corruption and nepotism, absenteeism (in committee and plenary), backlog (petitions, Bills, committee reports etc), and wasteful spending (on travel abroad and other benefits) that have bedeviled the House for years.
The promises
Without disclosing the details, Mr Oulanyah promised to reverse some of Ms Kadaga’s 10-year policies and restore public confidence in a Parliament that is jeered at because of the way MPs do business. He also revealed that his leadership will prioritise issues of national interest, perfect service delivery and restoration of good relationship with other agencies of government.
Senior lawmakers as well as directors and staff members who talked to Daily Monitor yesterday, listed key challenges the new Speaker faces in trying to dismantle what they have called “a deep-rooted system of patronage built over the years.”
Duplication and wastage
According to clerks, “reckless proliferation departments” have led to duplication of roles and wastage. They have asked Speaker Oulanyah and the new Parliamentary Commission (not yet constituted) to look into the matter with utmost urgency. The Parliamentary Commission will be chaired by the Speaker.
Currently, the Parliament building has 24 directors as opposed to six under Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi (2001-2011). Each director is entitled to a government vehicle and other benefits.
The six directorates under Ssekandi were; Clerks (Emmanuel Bakwega), Sergeant-At-Arms (Ahmed Kagoye), Budget (Samuel Wanyaka/Sulaiman Kiggundu), Finance and Administration (late Okello Obabaru/Patrick Kunobwa), Library and Research (Innocent Rugambwa), and then Official Report/Hansard (Andrew Walube).
Nepotism in Parliament
In 2013, former Speaker Kadaga ordered an investigation into the allegations that some members of the Parliamentary Commission and other senior officials could have helped their relatives get jobs without passing through the established procedures.
The former Speaker instituted a three-man committee led by the Parliamentary and Legal Affairs Committee chairperson then, Mr Stephen Tashobya (now commissioner at Electoral Commission), to help her investigate cases of inconsistencies and influence peddling in the manner people get jobs at Parliament. The probe came after an acrimonious restructuring process.
Top managers involved
Daily Monitor investigation in the allegations also revealed that even top managers at Parliament were part of the racket. Over the years, they have brought their brothers and sisters and many of them got jobs as cleaners, research assistants, office messengers, receptionists, and drivers.
Other committee members include Bugweri County legislator Abdu Katuntu (FDC), Mr Huda Oleru (Yumbe Woman then), and Mr Chris Kaija as the secretary. Although the findings were not made public, Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda’s Cissy Kagaba called for a full investigation into the allegations of nepotism, focusing on the entire recruitment process in the House and the accusations that the process is ordinarily marred by corruption scandals.
Article 1.8.1 of the Human Resource Manuel prohibits the employment of close relatives by any officer in Parliament. Defining close relatives as spouse, child, parents, brothers and sisters, the manual says “employment of relatives shall not be encouraged in the service...”.
Low productivity
Low productivity of committees and House is another issue Mr Oulanyah will confront as he takes charge of the House. For instance, the committee on Commissions Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) handled audit reports of less than 20 of 121 entities under their purview in the entire five years of the 10th Parliament.
Anita Among is the new Deputy Speaker of Parliament. PHOTO | ABUBAKER LUBOWA
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Government Assurances Committee, Local Government Accounts Committee, and Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, among others, didn’t complete tasks and several reports were neither presented nor debated.
On May 17, the House without debate resolved to adopt recommendations contained in reports of Auditor General (AG) that were tabled but remained unconsidered by the committees. It’s not clear why MPs failed to process the AG reports even as some clerks blamed backlog on what they called “the ethical malaise characterised by extortion mainly perpetrated by MPs in the course of their committee inquiries.”
Pending Bills
At least 18 key Bills remained pending including constitutional amendments. Some of the pending Bills are; The Marriage and Divorce Bill, 2009, The National Graduate Scheme Bill, 2010, The Patients’ Rights and Responsibilities Bill, Two Constitutional (Amendments) Bills, 2020, The Anti-Slavery Bill, The Real
Estates Bill, The Fisheries Bill, The Parliamentary Pensions Bill, and The Human Rights Bill. A key motion will have to be moved in the 11th Parliament to reintroduce the pending bills.
To address inefficiencies in the various committee, Mr Oulanyah will have to engage the party chips to ensure they designate worthy chairpersons and deputies. The Clerk to Parliament should also work with the Speaker’s office to strengthen performance of commitees and ensure strict adherence to the rules of procedure.
Independence
Mr Gilbert Olanya (FDC, Kilak South County), who supported Ms Kadaga in the Speaker race, asked Mr Oulanyah and his deputy Anita Among (NRM, Bukedea) to make sure Ugandans have equal voices in Parliament.
Speaker Jacob Oulanyah interacts with the director of budget, Mr Kiggundu Sulaiman on Wednesday. PHOTO | DAVID LUBOWA
He warned that the duo will be assessed on the number of Bills passed and such laws must not be against the interest of Ugandans.
Ahead of the 2021 General Election, some members of the ruling party toyed with the idea of a parliamentary system where the party with majority numbers chooses a president. There are fears among Opposition members that such machinations may come back to haunt the 11th Parliament.
“We want an independent Parliament that is not used by the President to advance his personal interests. We were disappointed when the President on Monday said he was the one who called the legislators supporting Kadaga to vote for Oulanyah. This shows that Parliament will be in the pocket of the President, which the Speaker and the Deputy must guard against,” Mr Olanya said.
Young and excited MPs
Ms Annet Nyakecho (Mbale City Woman MP) said: “Majority of MPs are young and excited and therefore, both the Speaker and the Deputy should exercise impartiality and put national interests above party interests. If they do the reverse, they could face a lot of resistance and riots from these young people.”
Ms Nyakecho and other lawmakers who talked to Daily Monitor believe ending corruption in Parliament and listening to the views of all legislators across the political spectrum, will give Mr Oulanyah and Ms Among mileage.
“I know the Speaker is a tough person, but I expect him to tone down and do more by listening than talking. He should also be able to mentor and guide his deputy who is totally new in that office,” Ms Nyakecho said.
Oulanyah speaks out
On Tuesday, without delving into the specifics of the many challenges ahead, Mr Oulanyah sounded upbeat about the future, called for a fresh start and requested those he might have wronged in any way, to forgive him.
The Speaker promised to make Parliament an all-embracing place for Ugandans, regardless of their religion and political affiliation.
“My role as Speaker will be to execute with utmost diligence the mandate given to me by Constitution and the responsibility that comes with it to preside over the august House for the protection of the national interest & improvement of service delivery systems for the benefit our people,” Mr Oulanyah said.
The 24 Directors in Parliament
1. Emmanuel Bakwega - Clerks
2. Kunobwa Patrick - Finance
3. Bagonza John - Research
4. Ruth Ekirapa - Office of LOP
5. Masereka Benson - Commission Secretariat
6. Kumakech Geoffrey - Human Resource
7. Kizza Charles - Office of the Leader of Government Business
8. Kiggundu Sulaiman - Budget
9. Bisase Charles - Corporate Planning and Strategy
10. Bisiku Peter - Speaker’s Office
11. Kaweesa Robinson - Office of the Deputy Speaker
12. Julian Kaganzi - Procurement
13. Sitna Cherotich - Litigation
14. Katono Suzan - Legal
15. Rugambwa Innocent - Library
16. Bbaale Fred - ICT
17. Binwe Charles - Rebecca Kadaga Institute
18. Obore Chris - Communication and Public Affairs
19. Kagoye Ahmed - Sergeant at Arms
20. Ngolobe Patrick Wanyama - Administration and Transport
21. Opata Cosian - Office of the Clerk
