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The Speaker Of Parliament Of Uganda,Rt.Hon.Anita Among Annet presiding over the house recently.Photo by Eric Dominic Bukenya/Office of the Speaker.
MPs await Speaker’s notice of resumption amid indefinite suspension
The Speaker of Parliament,Rt. Hon. Anita Among last week on Thursday afternoon adjourned the House sine die until government prepares and returns to Parliament with a clear statement on the next move about the suspended LC I elections whose leaders’ tenure expired on July 10th.
The Speaker of Parliament Rt.Hon.Anita Among Annet and her Deputy Rt.Thomas Tayebwa at Kololo Ceremonial grounds recently.
By press time, the Office of the Clerk had not issued the order paper to Members of Parliament and the general public.
For the House to resume, the office of the Speaker is required to issue a notice of resumption to the Clerk of Parliament who then draws and releases the order paper.
The Minister for ICT and Information Dr. Chris Baryomunsi says Cabinet has endorsed a proposal to address the vacuum caused by the expiry of the term of Administrative Unit Councils and extend the term of Local Council I and II by six months.
Speaking at the Uganda Media Center on Tuesday morning, the Minister stated that a cabinet meeting on Monday resolved to push the term for LCs by 180 days because it is provided for under the law. He further explained that this decision will also require approval from Parliament before the government releases an official notice.
According to Baryomunsi, a statutory instrument will be laid in parliament, and once it is approved the extension will take effect from the date of expiration of posts, July 10, 2023.
“Cabinet approved that proposal but what follows next is we shall have to get approval from Parliament and once the Statutory instrument has been laid in parliament and is approved, then the Minister for local government will issue the notice of the term. This extension retrospective will take effect from 10th July 2023, to validate any action that will have been taken by the local councils from the date when their term expired.” He said
The term of office of LC I and LCII chairpersons expired on 10 July 2023.
Government extended the term of office of the LCs however, some lawmakers and members of the public have demanded that the government look for funds for elections to take place because there is no law that supports any extension and the relevance of the office is very sensitive and key.
Kiryowa told the house that the immediate recently elected leadership of the administrative units should continue rendering the necessary services to the people in observance of the spirit and principle of the Constitution that there should never be a vacuum in leadership.
He stated that this situation needed approval from Cabinet and Parliament.
However, Among challenged the government to present a statutory instrument for an extension, to ensure the extension is lawful.
“I am not going to continue on something that is illegal. Government must advise the country on the way forward. We need a position of government, not to continue speculating,” she said
Additional Source(KFM)