Nakaseke South Member of Parliament Paulson Luttamaguzi Ssemakula has decried the persistent absenteeism of government ministers during critical plenary sittings, warning that Parliament has been “castrated” and reduced to a rubber stamp.
Speaking on Sanyuka One-on-One on Thursday, Luttamaguzi accused cabinet ministers of sidelining Parliament and undermining its constitutional role of holding government accountable.
He noted that despite Uganda having one of the largest cabinets in the region, only a handful of ministers turn up to respond to matters of national importance.
“We have 82 ministers, yet when it comes to issues of national importance, only two are available. Some ministers are unknown because they have no visible impact. Are we proceeding well?” he asked.
He questioned why ministries with both full ministers and deputies often fail to present leadership during sittings, leaving MPs’ urgent concerns unanswered.
“There is no ministry with only one minister. Every minister has a deputy, so they cannot all be busy at the same time. Yet, a small group of people ends up controlling everything. All institutions, not just Parliament, are under capture,” he said.
Luttamaguzi cautioned that if the trend continues, Parliament’s oversight role will be severely undermined, allowing the executive to dominate while MPs remain voiceless on behalf of their constituents.
“We are fighting to create a better Parliament, while they are content with the status quo. Museveni is a shrewd politician—he has created his own opposition. Parliament has been castrated, and while I am part of it, I still play an important role,” he declared.
His warning comes at a time when plenary sessions have increasingly been marked by the absence of ministers, sparking fears that questions of national concern will go unanswered and key decisions will be made without proper accountability.