Greetings from the Africa Leadership Institute and the Parliament of Uganda!
This is an update from the Parliament of Uganda marking the 6th Sitting of the 1st Meeting of the 4th Session of the 11th Parliament. This Sitting was chaired by the Deputy Speaker Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa. In his communication, the Speaker steered Parliament in commemorating Dr. Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, the former WHO Representative in Uganda, for his outstanding service to Uganda during the time when the country grappled with deadly diseases like COVID-19 and Ebola. Tayebwa disclosed that Dr. Tegegn completed his assignment on 31st July 2024 after being assigned to Uganda in 2018. He supported the Ministry of Health during Uganda’s first COVID-19 case announcement, actively participated in all meetings, and contributed significantly to the development of Uganda’s COVID-19 response strategies. Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa also directed the Ministry of Health to address the recurring issue of medical intern students’ deployment & related problems. He made the directive during a parliamentary session this afternoon, citing numerous complaints from medical intern students. “I have received several complaints from medical intern students regarding their deployment and related issues. This is a recurring problem that we need to address. I suggest that the Minister of Health present a statement on this matter on Tuesday”, he said.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa informed the House that the Business Committee met on 24th July 2024 and endorsed the parliamentary calendar for the 4th Session. The committee also approved the legislative agenda put forth by the Leader of Government Business during the meeting.
Reacting to the Speaker’s communication, Hon. Achieng Sarah Opendi (DWR, Tororo District, NRM) said “WHO is a key partner of the health sector in the country. You haven’t just been giving the technical support, you have been giving the country the technical guidance to the Ministry of Health and we want to thank you for walking with them. Wherever we had issues in the health sector, he was always there by the side of the political leadership, but also the technical leaders, to give guidance, but also provide the necessary support”. Hon. Opio Samuel Acuti (MP, Kole North County, Kole District,Indep) who also doubles as the Vice Chairperson, Parliament’s Health Committee said that the last 6 and half years that Dr. Tegegn served as WHO’s Representative to Uganda were the most critical years in Uganda’s health sector, where the country broke the world record of containing Ebola outbreak in 2022 within 69days & Uganda was also commended for its effective emergency response in fighting COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, Hon. Ssemujju Nganda (MP, Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, FDC asked the government to explain how 36 FDC members who had gone to Kenya for leadership training were kidnapped and beaten by Ugandan security personnel. “We have 36 FDC leaders who were kidnapped from Kenya by the External Security Organisation (ESO) and the Ugandan military. I don’t know whether Uganda simply walks into another country, we nearly had problems here with Rwanda because Rwanda was accused of coming into Uganda and kidnapping refugees, one of the 36 is actually a registered refugee in Kenya”, he said. He added “There was no extradition order, they had gone to attend a leadership training and they were kidnapped. We want Government to tell us, under which arrangement did they go to Kenya, to kidnap FDC leaders who had gone for leadership training, why did they beat them”.
Responding to the issue, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa said, “From the words of Ssemujju, Government side, why are you kidnapping my OBs?”. The Attorney General, Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka in response asked the FDC to bring the issues of torture during arrest at the time of trial, as this is one of the defence the Party can front to have the case dismissed. “I am not aware that any people were abducted, what I know is that 36 people whom you say were from FDC, were charged in court for terrorism. What I was saying is that these people were charged, they are before court and if there are any issues of them being beaten, wrongly arrested, they can be raised in court at the appropriate time, and we have laws to deal with that. And in fact if a person was tortured at the time of his arrest, that case will be dismissed, so that is a good defence that you can put before the Court”, he said
However, Hon. Lubega Medard Sseggona (MP, Busiro East County, Wakiso District, NUP) who also doubles as the COSASE Chair opposed Attorney General Kiwanuka Kiryowa’s decision to explain the circumstances under which 36 FDC members are said to have been kidnapped from Kenya into Uganda and charged with terrorism, claiming that the Head of the Bar’s actions are unusual professionally because they fall outside of his mandate as Chief Legal Advisor to the Government. “The Attorney General can advise us on matters before court, where they were placed under his hands, issues to do with how they were arrested, abducted or kidnapped are issues to do with the Minister for Security and therefore the docket of ESO, or if it was Police, the Minister of Internal Affairs and how he managed to cross the border and I am constrained that is why I am seeking for your procedural guidance, because you asked Government and the Attorney General volunteered, which is uncommon professionally”, he said. He added “For the last 22 years I have been a lawyer and my learned friend Kiwanuka Kiryowa having been a lawyer even much longer, knows that a lawyer only acts on instructions. Instructions of the Attorney General are only standing instructions under the constitution, and they only deal with matters of law, and we are dealing with matters relating to the deployment of Forces out of the country and managed to go to Kisumu and get these Ugandans. I don’t want to speculate on how they got them; whether they kidnapped them, or whether they used a window of someone’s son who said he can march to West Lands in two weeks, and clearly, that isn’t a matter for the Attorney General”
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa in his guidance informed Sseggona that Kiryowa is also a member of Cabinet who is free to represent the Executive noting, “The Attorney General is a member of the Front Bench, this is the Executive, and they work together. So if he finds that it isn’t okay with him, he can always say it and we can’t force him”, he said. The Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka later pointed out to Hon. Sseggona that he has more experience in practicing law and is more knowledgeable about the laws. “The Attorney General responded by thanking my learned friend for acknowledging that I have been at the Bar for a longer period and am likely to possess more expertise in the law than he does”, he said.
The LOP, Hon. Ssenyonyi Joel Besekezi who also doubles as the (MP, Nakawa East County, Kampala, NUP) later responded to President Museveni’s June 2024 State of the Nation Address saying, the speech was filled with proclamations of progress, and lacked the depth and sincerity necessary to fully capture the complexities and challenges facing Uganda, as the address fell short of addressing the critical issues Ugandans are grapping with. “Economically, the address fell short of acknowledging the persistent and pervasive economic struggles that many of our citizens endure. Unemployment remains a significant issue, particularly among our youth, who are the bedrock of our future. The rising cost of living continues to burden countless families, creating on environment of economic insecurity that was not adequately addressed”, he said. On Health, the LOP said “Our healthcare system, a cornerstone of national well-being, remains in a precarious state. Despite assertions of improvements, the reality is blatantly different for many Ugandans who face significant challenges in accessing basic healthcare services. Our hospitals are often underfunded, understaffed, and ill-equipped, a situation that the address did not confront with the urgency it deserves. The lack of a clear and actionable plan to rectify these deficiencies is deeply concerning”.
“According to a report by the Inspectorate of Government titled, ‘Cost of Corruption in Uganda’, the estimated cost of corruption per year is between UGX 9.1 trillion to UGX 20 trillion”, Ssenyonyi said. The LOP, noted that While anti-corruption efforts were referenced, mere rhetoric is insufficient. He told MPs that concrete actions and innovative strategies are imperative to combat this entrenched issue. “Without genuine dedication and transparent execution, phrases such as “crushing the corrupt” remain mere slogans”, he said. Hon. Ssenyonyi also criticised the modus operandi of gov’t wealth creation programs like PDM, Emyooga. “In the case of PDM, it is even more problematic that you give Shs100m to a parish of 1000 people and the same Shs100m to a parish of 4,000 people”, he said. Ssenyonyi further called on the gov’t to tame its appetite for public borrowing. “This wanton borrowing spree, without corresponding value for money, undermines the country’s fiscal health and burdens future generations with debt prepayment obligations”, he said.
According to the LOP, Youth unemployment is not just a challenge; it is a ticking time bomb. “Our young people, brimming with potential and ambition, are sidelined, their dreams deferred or quashed. We have reached a distressing point where the absence of opportunity drives our youths into terrifying conditions abroad. Reports of human rights abuses against Ugandans in foreign lands are not just disturbing; they are a call to action. It is our duty to respond and to protect our citizens, wherever they may be”, he said. He added “Furthermore, the plight of our citizens working overseas, particularly in the Arab world, is taken as if it is very normal and okay to mistreat Ugandans in the diaspora. The government has continuously been urged to take immediate action to recruit labour attaches in major cities and countries where Ugandans are employed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must task these attaches to focus specifically on labor-related issues and to provide technical backstopping and Consular support in all Foreign Missions”. On the issue of taxation, Ssenyonyi said that Uganda’s approach to taxation has not been balanced by adequate attention to the welfare of the citizens. “Ironically, as the Government seeks to raise more revenue through numerous taxes, it simultaneously erodes the very base from which this revenue is drawn. You all witnessed the grievances that led to traders striking over the use of EFRIS by URA, and other exorbitant taxes they have to endure. Traders have reached a point where they find it increasingly difficult to continue trading”, he said.
On the deployment of medical interns, the LOP said ” Gov’t should prioritise deployment of medical interns. They studied for many years, and are now stranded. No wonder they are protesting, because their concerns are not being addressed”. Ssenyonyi also told MPs that the Uganda Human rights Commission has shamelessly turned a blind eye to attrocities, failing in its core responsibility to protect the vulnerable and uphold justice.
Hon. Kugonza Emely (MP, Buyanja East County, Kibaale District, NRM) later moved a motion to thank the President for his clear and precise exposition of Gov’t policy contained in the State of the Nation Address on 6th June 2024. He thanked President Museveni for giving a clear and concise speech during the June 2024 State of the Nation Address, and called on Ugandans to join the President in fighting corruption in Uganda by offering support to the legal and institutional frameworks put in place to fight corruption like; the Inspectorate of Government, the Anti-Corruption Court, the Anti-Corruption Unit in State House, Criminal Investigation Department of the Uganda Police Force. “These institutions need the support of all of us, and Parliament should take the lead in the fight against corruption as we are the representatives of the people. The president reiterated his commitment to fight corruption and reminded us that it is equally a duty of all Ugandans”, he said. He added “I thank the President, Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa, for the impressive socioeconomic transformation, which has been achieved under the NRM Government since 1986. The wealth and job-creation initiatives have enabled low income earning Ugandans to be part of the money economy which has enabled Uganda to attain the lower middle-income status”.
The House then moved to Prime Minister’s Time. During this session, the PM responds to concerns from MPs. According to the PM, Rt. Hon. Nabbaja Robinah who also doubes the (DWR, Kakumiro District, NRM), Government is set to table; The Engineering Professionals Bill 2024 and the National Teachers’ Bill 2024 in the coming weeks. These are part of the 66Bills that the Executive has lined up to consider during the 4th session of the 11th Parliament. While responding to demands made by Hon. Balimwezo Ronald Nsubuga (MP, Nakawa East, County, Kampala, NUP) who called for the compensation and resettlement of the former residents of Lubigi wetland, Premier Robinah Nabbanja reinforced that Government will neither compensate nor resettle Ugandans who will be evicted from wetlands and forested and urged all MPs to encourage their voters to leave these protected areas. “Join me so that we can protect our nature, Uganda is gifted by nature. Those of you who are widely travelled, you know what is happening in other countries, the global warming. Let us help our people to leave the forests wetland, to leave all those ecosystem of biodiversity. There is nobody who will be protected we shall not resettle people because we don’t have that money. Let them leave”, she said. In addition, the Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa defended the Government’s eviction of people from wetland, saying that resettlement and compensation for evicted people should only be done for lawful practices, other than individuals who deliberately encroach on wetlands. “When we talk about compensation, resettlement, this isn’t money which comes from the pocket of the President as an individual, it would be money that we pass here. We need to ensure that we compensate for only lawful practices. If you have any issue to do with people being in wetlands, I don’t know how you will bring that money here for compensation. To me I think, these people were in wetlands, where they weren’t supposed to be those people should be evicted and leave without any single compensation”, he said
Finally the PM denied allegations that President Museveni is avoiding meeting with traders to prevent a repeat of the embarrassment and heckling he experienced during their initial meeting in May 2024. She stated that the reason for the postponed meeting is due to ongoing renovation works at Kololo Independence Grounds, which also clarifies the rejection of the National Unity Platform’s request to hold an event at the same venue. “I want MPs here to note that the Prime Minister here isn’t a sleeping Prime Minister and the President can’t hide from his people. The President didn’t meet the traders yesterday because we are still renovating Kololo (Independence Grounds) that is why your people, the President of national Unity Platform didn’t access it and you people were complaining, even ours hasn’t accessed Kololo. The President will meet the traders at an appropriate date and I believe the President will get a date and meet the traders”, she said. She also revealed that this morning, she held a meeting between the Minister of Finance, Minister of Trade, alongside the leadership of Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) and some traders where the parties agreed to open up their shops. “We also agreed that let the shops be open starting from tomorrow. We also agreed that there are people who are known as Kifeesi who have been scaring traders from accessing their shops and that those should be dealt with by Police”, she said.
The Speaker afterward adjourned the House to Tuesday, 06 August 2024 at 2.00p.m.
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