The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah, has said there is need for equitable employment in the public service to reflect all regions of the country.
The Deputy Speaker cited a case of the Parliamentary Service where he said there are no staff originating from Karamoja region.
“I have discovered one standing fact that we may need to take cognisance of. The entire Karamoja region and it is not a small region; we have the Matheniko, Bokora, Jie, Pokot, Dodoth, Pian and Ik; in that entire Karamoja sub-region, there is not one member of staff that comes from there,” Oulanyah said.
Oulanyah called on Members of Parliament to address the challenges of gender and equity as they carry out their legislative and representative roles in Parliament.
“Gender and equity are things that we need to look at and reflect on as a Parliament. These are concerns that we must deal with proactively rather than leave these gaps glaring in our eyes,” he said.
Oulanyah raised the concern as he welcomed MPs from the Christmas recess in a plenary sitting on Wednesday, 09 January 2019.
Dokolo District Woman MP, Hon. Cecilia Ogwal said equitable sharing in terms of employment was a big issue that needed to be dealt with adding that relevant sectors of government should report to Parliament on how they are positioning people in various top jobs.
“If we cannot live according to expectations and in compliance with the laws which we make then how can we criticize other institutions,” Cecilia Ogwal remarked.
Hon. Elijah Okupa (FDC, Kasilo County) called for a presentation of a report from the Committee on Equal Opportunities, which he said should capture the concerns about gender and equity in the different sectors of government.
Oulanyah also called for the spirit of reconciliation to take precedence in the activities Ugandans intend to engage in and also called on Members of Parliament to work more effectively for the benefit of their constituents.
He called for positive attitudes that would guide the activities of the different parliamentary committees and also promote the social, political and economic development of the country.
“We need to individually and collectively throw away the negative attitudes from 2018 and only carry forward the attitudes of hope, positivity, business, love, reconciliation and unity,” Oulanyah said.
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