Some members of parliament are raising alarms over the lack of business being presented to the House by the Cabinet, accusing the Executive of intentionally keeping the legislature redundant just months before the general elections.
The complaints come close to a month after the Parliament of Uganda was adjourned sine die (without setting a date for resumption), with the last major item of business being the passing of an 11 trillion shillings loan package for budget implementation.
Kira Municipality Legislator Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda insisted that the Parliament is being deprived of its major duty and warned of a chaotic end-of-term rush, especially with many lawmakers focused on the upcoming polls.
"The house is shot of business impacted by the cabinet which is not sitting," Ssemujju stated, emphasising that the main duty of bringing business to the house rests with the Executive. He further warned that delaying business would lead to a "stampede" after elections.
Fear of Post-Election Stampede
Ssemujju argues that any substantive business brought before the House after the elections will face a "stampede," as many legislators, especially those who lose their seats, will be too preoccupied with securing their next source of income to dedicate serious attention to legislative duties.
"After elections there will be a stampede," Ssemujju cautioned. "People are looking for their next job. Those who survived... There will never be seriousness people are vulnerable. If it were possible parliament should have stopped before campaigns."
He also noted that even the crucial budget process, which typically spans four months, is at risk of being compromised by the pre-election scramble. "There needs to be revision on how budget is handled in an election year stating many are always scrambling for a next job after loosing elections."
However, the legislator’s call for a revision of the budget timeline was disputed by Muwanga Kivumbi, who indicated that the period after elections is sufficient to handle the budget process, calling the current period a "known period."
Backlog Concerns and Call for Action
Beyond the budget, Ssemujju pointed out the backlog of other statutory duties, particularly the reports of the Auditor General.
"We only need to be dealing with reports of the Auditor General. First draft must be presented by around 15th December," he stressed.
Both legislators highlighted the importance of completing the legislative agenda to maintain institutional integrity. They stressed that Parliament should not break practice by transferring a backlog of business to the next Parliament.
Ssemujju urged the leadership of the House to take charge: "Speakers need to wake up and deal with the business. It shouldn't be transferring business to another."