The Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, has revealed that government will table Bills next week aimed at providing for the rationalisation of agencies under four sectors of the country. The proposed Bills include the Rationalisation of Government Agencies (Education Sector) (Amendments) Bill, 2024 and the Rationalisation of Government Agencies (Internal Affairs Sector) (Amendments) Bill, 2024. Also to be tabled will be the Rationalisation of Government Agencies (Natural Resources and Environment Sector) (Amendments) Bill, 2024 as well as the Rationalisation of Government Agencies (Works and Transport Sector) (Amendments) Bill, 2024. Nabbanja said this during the plenary sitting on Thursday, 08 February 2024, while tabling business that government intends to bring to Parliament. The Bills come at a time when government has been put on the spot by legislators over what they termed as piecemeal amendments to the Constitution in a bid to merge some government agencies. Particularly in November 2023, MPs challenged the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2023 that entailed provisions to merge the Equal Opportunities Commission with the Uganda Human Rights Commission. During plenary at the time, the Minister for Public Service, Hon. Wilson Muruli Mukasa, had committed to engage respective Parliament Committees on the agencies being rationalised, so as to present a concrete position to the House. Relatedly, Nabbanja has also listed the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2023 among the business to be brought before Parliament in the succeeding week. Five other Bills on the list include the National Tribunal Bill, 2023, the Uganda Health Professional Regulatory Council Bill, 2023, the Arbitration and Reconciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Karamoja Development Agency (Repeal) Bill, 2024 and the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2021. “The Minister for Internal Affairs will also present a statement in the House updating the country on the process and guidelines on the renewal of national identification cards as requested by Parliament,” Nabbanja added.
Today in Parliament / 8th February 2024.
Greetings from the Africa Leadership Institute and the Parliament of Uganda! This is an update from the Parliament of Uganda marking the 8th Sitting of the 3rd Meeting of the 3rd Session of the 11th Parliament. This Sitting was chaired by the Deputy Speaker Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa. In his communication, Speaker Tayebwa announced that 22 former international football players will visit Uganda for four days. They will play a match against Ugandan MPs at St. Mary’s Stadium-Kitende and visit various sites across the country. “The UEFA President, Aleksander Čeferin is leading a team of 22 former international players for the four days visit to Uganda. During their stay, they will play a football match against Parliamentteam on 12th February 2024, at 2:00Pm, at St. Mary’s Stadium, Kitende. The delegation will also visit several sites and I really want to thank our FUFA President, Moses Magogo and the Minister of State for Sports, Peter Ogwang for organizing this very important visit”. he said. Reacting to the Speaker’s communication, Hon. Ssewungu Joseph Gonzaga (MP, Kalungu West County, Kalungu District, NUP) noted that although he puts in much effort to dress smartly while coming to Parliament as per Rules, some MPs are slowly changing the rules of the dress code required by Parliament. “This House has rules of procedure, and among them there is dress code. This House is changing slowly but a sure dose on dress code and when I come as MP, and Shadow Minister of Education, I dress smartly as you see me. I don’t know whether it is procedurally okay we remove the stringent demands of dress code in our rules, otherwise we are degenerating slowly. If we rose points of orders here, we would have 10 MPs sent out today”. he said. In response, the Deputy Speaker, called for a high-level meeting with top leadership of Parliament in order to discuss concerns about the decline of proper dress code amongst MPs, after some lawmakers complained that the dress code amongst fellow MPs has degenerated, contrary to the Rules of Parliament. “Next week, we shall meet the Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi, Government Chief Whip, Hamson Obua, Party Whips and Chairperson of Committee of Rules and we give proper guidance that is harmonized in as far as interpretation of the rules on dressing is concerned”. Tayebwa said. The House then moved on to receive as Statement on Foot and Mouth Disease in the cattle corridor & and the resultant quarantine. This was presented by the Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Hon. Tumwebaze Frank Kagyigyi who doubles as the (MP, Kibale East County, Kamwenge District, NRM). According to the Minister, livestock farmers will meet the cost of purchasing vaccine for the foot and mouth disease (FMD). Tumwebaze told MPs that the decision was made by Cabinet to ensure timely availability of vaccines in the country. “The farmer would be required to pay the cost of each dose of the vaccine (US$2 per dose) twice a year for each susceptible animal and present evidence of payment to the designated veterinary medical store”. he said. The minister announced that funds will be redirected to a revolving mechanism for the timely placement of vaccine orders. He added that the Cabinet emphasized the importance of maintaining government control over vaccine importation for bio-safety and security purposes. “This is to control the risk of any other private entity bringing into the country foreign strains which are not in Uganda thus further complicating the situation and could potentially wipeout the entire susceptible domestic animal population”. the Minister said. He stated that the government will dispatch veterinary officers to administer the vaccine, at a cost covered by the government. According to the Minister, the Cabinet instructed the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to allocate a supplementary budget for procuring 10 million doses of the FMD vaccine. The proposed solution will facilitate vaccination in affected and high-risk districts, enabling veterinary authorities to lift quarantine restrictions. “Government will in the next Financial Year (2024/2025) create a revolving/buffer fund to kick start the procurement of FMD vaccines for the entire 44 million susceptible domestic animal population”. he said. The Minister further noted that Farmers will further have to comply with a bi-annual FMD vaccination and a proof of vaccination will be a pre-condition for trade in animal and/or animal products. He said that the government will support the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) to fast track FMD vaccine research and development. “Transportation and procurement delays will also be mitigated thus guaranteeing a stable supply chain in the Country”. the Minister said. Reacting to the statement, the LOP, Hon. Ssenyonyi Joesl Besekezi who doubles as the (MP, Nakawa West Division, Kampala, NUP) questioned the government’s commitment to support vaccine production, despite a 2015 Parliamentary resolution establishing an FMD vaccine plant. “Could you come to Parliament and tell us that here is a budget with specificities of what you want to do so that if Parliament does not support you, you blame Parliament. But there is nothing of the sort, you are only promising that a vaccine will be developed”. he said. Hon. Rwakoojo Robina Gureme (MP, Gomba West County, Gomba District, NRM) rejected the latest requirement for farmers to purchase these vaccines. “Why do you want to sell us those vaccines in the short run, first give them to us those vaccines for free after that we start to pay. I am hurting, we can’t sell milk, we can’t sell cattle people are asking us for school fees, I though a provision will be made in some of those schools at the beginning of this term, people are actually seated at home.” she said. The Deputy Speaker on his part emphasized the need for Parliament to allocate funds to curb FMD during the budgeting process. “I hope it is fully reflected because there is willingness from Cabinet and Parliament. We should resolve this”. he said The House also later considered a Statement on the Status
Livestock farmers to pay for Foot and Mouth Disease vaccine
Livestock farmers will meet the cost of purchasing vaccine for the foot and mouth disease (FMD). The Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, told Parliament that the decision was made by Cabinet to ensure timely availability of vaccines in the country. This was during the plenary sitting on Thursday, 08 December 2024 where Tumwebaze presented an update on government’s measures to curb FMD, following its outbreak in 36 districts in the cattle corridor, first recorded in November 2023. “The farmer would be required to pay the cost of each dose of the vaccine (US$2 per dose) twice a year for each susceptible animal and present evidence of payment to the designated veterinary medical store,” he said. The minister said that funds will be ploughed back into a revolving mechanism to be used for the timely placement of vaccine orders. He added that Cabinet maintained that for purposes of bio-safety/security, government should remain in control of importation of the vaccines. “This is to control the risk of any other private entity bringing into the country foreign strains which are not in Uganda thus further complicating the situation and could potentially wipeout the entire susceptible domestic animal population,” said Tumwebaze. He said that that veterinary officers will be dispatched by government to administer the vaccine, a cost that will be met by government. Cabinet further directed the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to provide a supplementary budget for procurement of 10 million doses of the FMD vaccine. This will facilitate vaccination of the affected and neighbouring districts that are at high risk, and thereafter, make it easy for veterinary authorities to lift quarantine restrictions. “Government will in the next Financial Year (2024/2025) create a revolving/buffer fund to kick start the procurement of FMD vaccines for the entire 44 million susceptible domestic animal population,” the minister added. Farmers will further have to comply with a bi-annual FMD vaccination and a proof of vaccination will be a pre-condition for trade in animal and/or animal products. To substantially reduce the cost of the vaccine, Tumwebaze said that government will support the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) to fast track FMD vaccine research and development. “Transportation and procurement delays will also be mitigated thus guaranteeing a stable supply chain in the Country,” he said. The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, however, questioned government’s commitment to support production of a vaccine, based on a Parliamentary resolution in 2015 for government to set up an FMD vaccine plant. “Could you come to Parliament and tell us that here is a budget with specificities of what you want to do so that if Parliament does not support you, you blame Parliament. But there is nothing of the sort, you are only promising that a vaccine will be developed,” Ssenyonyi said. Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa said that since Parliament is in the budgeting process, consideration should be made to provide the required funds to curb the FMD. “I hope it is fully reflected because there is willingness from Cabinet and Parliament. We should resolve this,” Tayebwa said.
Parliament approves new aviation law
Parliament has passed the Civil Aviation Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2024 that will bring Uganda’s aviation authority in conformity with the Convention on International Civil Aviation. This follows the approval of eight amendments under the proposed Bill, which will now be forwarded to the President for assent. The Bill was passed on Thursday, at a sitting chaired by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa. The new law will give powers to a chief investigator to cause an investigation to be carried out where an aircraft accident or serious incident happens in Uganda or in any contracting state that does not intend to carry out an investigation. The chief investigator will also lead investigations into an accident or serious incident that occurs in Uganda or outside Uganda involving an aircraft registered in Uganda or an aircraft operated by an operator in Uganda.“The chief investigator must be a highly qualified person who has been in the airline industry for a long time and we normally screen them and look at their CVs. It may a retired pilot or an engineer,” said Gen. Katumba Wamala, the Minister for Works and Transport. He added that this is intended for compliance with requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and recommended practices relating to aviation security as provided for in annex 31 to the Chicago Convention.The law also prohibits the chief investigator from disclosing any investigation records like cockpit records, recordings and transcripts of recordings from air traffic control units, while carrying out an investigation. Timothy Batuwa, Jinja South Division West, MP noted that in times of an accident investigation, families of affected persons would require updates from such an incident.“Government has a duty to keep releasing some information periodically that has some form of evidence. I see a contradiction with this statement that denies the chief investigator an opportunity to release credible information to the public,” Batuwa said. Katumba Wamala said that it is important for the chief investigator to preserve information so as to protect operators like pilots and give ample time for an efficient investigation.“Sometimes you will find the investigation takes more than three days and he does not have all the details. So you cannot just allow him to release piecemeal information,” Katumba Wamala added. The new law will enable the CAA to recognise agreements of third party states who are signatories to Article 83 Bis of the Chicago Convention.