Members of Parliament from the Bunyoro region who were sworn in this week have outlined their priorities for the new term, with a focus on operationalising Bunyoro University, creating more job opportunities for locals in the oil and gas sector, and encouraging commercial agriculture as a pathway out of poverty.
The legislators made the remarks in Bujenje County, Masindi District, during a meeting where religious leaders led by former Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stanley Ntagali, and political leaders urged them to prioritise service delivery over personal interests.
The 11th Parliament has widely been criticised for allegedly prioritising personal and political interests over legislation and oversight aimed at addressing the daily needs of Ugandans. Concerns such as unemployment, poor healthcare services, education challenges, and accountability in the oil and gas sector reportedly received limited attention, while internal wrangles and benefit-driven politics dominated proceedings.
Speaking during celebrations marking Bujenje County MP Kenneth Kiiza Nyendwoha’s second term in Parliament, alongside his 12th marriage anniversary, Archbishop Emeritus Stanley Ntagali questioned the performance of the 11th Parliament.
Ntagali urged members of the 12th Parliament to reverse the trend by placing the interests of ordinary citizens at the centre of their work and ensuring that laws and decisions lead to tangible improvements in people’s livelihoods.
“Parliament has focused more on lavish and selfish issues, yet we have no medicine in health centres, schools are in a sorry state, and feeder roads remain poor. These should be priorities for members of the 12th Parliament,” Ntagali said.
The Bunyoro Region NRM Mobiliser, Michael Christopher Ayeranga, also questioned the large sums of money earned by MPs while the people they represent and essential public services continue to struggle.
“These MPs ought to prioritise issues affecting the people and pass laws that will improve Uganda and drive the economy forward,” Ayeranga said.
However, MPs including Kenneth Kiiza Nyendwoha of Bujenje County, Aled Akuzibwe of Buruli County, and Stephen Asera of Buhaguzi East in Kikuube District said they understand the challenges facing the people of Bunyoro and have already agreed on a regional agenda.
The legislators said they would work together to push for the operationalisation of Bunyoro University and advocate for free land titles to address increasing cases of land grabbing in the sub-region.
They added that securing more employment opportunities for Bunyoro residents in the oil and gas sector would be a key priority, alongside encouraging communities to embrace commercial agriculture for economic transformation.
The MPs also pledged to closely monitor government funds sent to districts and track development programmes intended to fight poverty, which they said are often mismanaged by technical officials.
“Government has done well in introducing programmes aimed at improving the livelihoods of our people, but sometimes technical officers misuse these funds. We want to monitor the money closely while also lobbying for more funding because the President wants people to get out of poverty,” Nyendwoha said.