The first day of the swearing-in of legislators for Uganda’s 12th Parliament saw a significant number of senior government officials take the oath on Wednesday, with Anita Among, Jessica Alupo and Robinah Nabbanja leading the list.
Speaking to the media after the ceremony, the top officials commended President Yoweri Museveni for entrusting them with leadership responsibilities and vowed to intensify efforts on service delivery and fighting corruption if retained in the next administration.
The swearing-in ceremony began at Kololo Independence Grounds amid a festive atmosphere, with supporters, cultural troupes and security personnel lining the grounds as legislators arrived in batches to take the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of Member of Parliament.
Speaker Anita Among was among the early legislators sworn in.
After taking the oath, Among said she had served to the best of her ability to stabilize Parliament during the previous term and pledged to continue upholding the dignity of the House.
“I thank the President and members of Parliament for entrusting me with the leadership of the 11th Parliament,” Among said. “I have served to my best to stabilize this institution, and I remain committed to ensuring that Parliament delivers for Ugandans.”
Vice President Jessica Alupo, who retained her Katakwi District Woman MP seat, thanked voters for giving her another term and said her priorities in the new Parliament would remain aligned with the President’s agenda.
“I commend the people of Katakwi for entrusting me with another term in Parliament,” Alupo said.
“In this term, I will continue advancing the President’s agenda on wealth creation and the fight against corruption so that our communities can move out of poverty.”
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja also took oath on Wednesday and outlined achievements registered during her tenure over the last five years. She welcomed the President’s “Kisanja No Sleep” call, saying it should inspire government officials to accelerate service delivery.
“The President’s message of Kisanja No Sleep is a call to all of us to work harder for the people,” Nabbanja said. “We must ensure that service delivery reaches every village without delay.”
Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, who also serves as Minister for East African Community Affairs, was among the senior leaders sworn in. Kadaga said her priorities for Busoga would include trade promotion, infrastructure development and strengthening regional integration.
Other cabinet ministers who took oath included Milly Babalanda and Chris Baryomunsi.
The swearing-in exercise is expected to continue throughout the week ahead of the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker and the formal opening of the 12th Parliament.
