Prime
New committee leaders vow to stamp corruption out of Parliament
Legislators during a plenary session chaired by Speaker Anita Among at Parliament on April 23, 2024. PHOTO/ FILE
What you need to know:
- Opposition’s attempt to replace the chairperson of the Government Assurances Committee, Mr Abed Bwanika, and his deputy, Ms Joyce Bagala, was unsuccessful after the Speaker ruled against it.
- Speaker Anita Among informed Parliament yesterday that Government Chief Whip Hamson Obua indicated it would take a fortnight to fill these positions based on the principle of rotation.
Parliament’s newly installed committee chairpersons and vice chairpersons have pledged to stamp out corruption.
In separate interviews, the leaders pledged to support President Museveni’s anti-corruption efforts, particularly targeting corrupt officials within the 11th Parliament.
The incoming chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ms Catherine Lamwaka, tasked her team to stick to their roles and prevent selfish interests that undermine the electorate.
“We will work together as a team. We will have to be transparent and stick to our role. We should not step beyond the role of oversight [because] that is where the problems start,” Ms Lamwaka said.
Ms Linda Agnes Auma, elevated to chairperson of the Agriculture, Animal Industries, and Fisheries Committee, committed to ensuring the Ministry of Agriculture and related agencies deliver on their mandates.
Mr Moses Aleper, the new Vice Chairperson of the Committee on Finance, highlighted the need for professionalism to improve the committee’s image and ensure proper conduct.
“You know now we have an uphill task. We are looked at critically and our image needs to be worked on. What we are going to do is to work with professionalism. We are also going to ensure that we do things the way they are supposed to be done,” Mr Aleper said.
Ms Rosemary Nyakikongoro, the chairperson of the Gender and Labour Committee, vowed to expose and punish any members involved in corruption, ensuring budgeted funds are fully utilised as planned.
However, eight of Parliament’s 15 sectoral committees will serve with partial leadership or remain vacant for two more weeks, pending final decisions by the National Resistance Movement (NRM) leadership.
Speaker Anita Among informed Parliament yesterday that Government Chief Whip Hamson Obua indicated it would take a fortnight to fill these positions based on the principle of rotation.
Speaker Among revelation came after FDC party Whip in Parliament Yusuf Nsibambi attempted to press that Mr Obua fully constitutes all committees. Mr Nsibambi also questioned the rationale behind the partial deployment.
“I think this [plenary sitting] session is specifically meant to close this chapter,” Mr Nsibambi said.
The Presidential Affairs Committee previously chaired by Ms Jessica Ababiku and her deputy Naome Kabasharira remained vacant while the Physical Infrastructure Committee was the only one whose leadership was untouched, with Mr Dan Kimosho Atwijukire and Mr Tony Awany retained as chairperson and vice chairperson, respectively.
Out of the eight standing committees without full leadership, six remained without chairpersons. These included the Committee on Tourism, Trade and Industry, previously chaired by Mr. Mwine Mpaka Rwamirama, and the Information, Communication Technology and National Guidance Committee, previously chaired by Mr Moses Magogo. The Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee saw its chairperson, Ms Robina Gureme Rwakoojo, and her deputy, Ms Yusus Mutembuli, both dropped, with only Mr John Teira named as vice chairperson while the chairperson position remains vacant.
The NRM also dropped chairpersons Dr Charles Ayume of the Health Committee, Mr John Ntamuhira Twesigye of the Education and Sports Committee, and Dr Emmanuel Otaala of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, all awaiting new chairpersons to be named.
Proposal to replace Bagala, Bwanika rejected
Meanwhile, Opposition’s attempt to replace the chairperson of the Government Assurances Committee, Mr Abed Bwanika, and his deputy, Ms Joyce Bagala, was unsuccessful after the Speaker ruled against it.
The LoP, Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, and the Opposition Chief Whip, Mr John Baptist Nambeshe, had proposed Mr Joseph Ssewungu (Kalungu West) and Ms Betty Ethel Naluyima (Wakiso Woman MP) as new chairperson and vice chairperson, respectively.
Mr Ssenyonyi argued that the committee had been dormant since its constitution in January, emphasising the need for active leadership.
“They rarely meet, and our thinking as the persons in-charge of these committees is to ensure they are active,” Mr Ssenyonyi said.
