Parliament: Rules committee blames bureaucracy over failure to table four reports

The parliamentary committee on Rules, Privilege and Discipline is considering making an amendment to the rules of procedure of Parliament on how best committee reports that have been overtaken by events can be handled.

According to the chairperson of the committee, Kenneth Obote, there is need to determine how long a report should be put on the order paper after the committee has accomplished its work.

This comes after a number of finished reports have taken years without appearing on the order paper even after the clerk to Parliament has been notified.

The Rules, Privilege and Disciplinary Committee is one of the Parliamentary Committees that have been faulted for sitting on parliamentary business since the 10th Parliament took charge in May 2016.

The committee is faulted for failing to produce a report on media houses that were reportedly tarnishing the name of the August House through allegedly misreporting on the UNAA event in 2016.

Even after interacting with the media owners in question, from 2016 to date, no report has been tabled before Parliament

The committee has also failed to produce a report on the misunderstandings between the two ministers Persis Namuganza, the state minister for Lands and Aidah Nantaba the state minister for ICT.

There is a pending report on the Misunderstandings between the Speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga and  Namuganza.

What about the report on the age limit fracas at Parliament? Even after the speaker had ordered the Committee to investigate, no interface with the suspects has taken place.

Obote, the committee chairperson said they should not be blamed for failing to table the reports on the floor of parliament.

He said the blame lies squarely on the Clerk of Parliament who has failed to list the reports on the order paper.

Obote said there is need to determine how a minister who has presented shoddy work before Parliament should be punished.