Oulanyah meets Museveni over MP absenteeism

By Mary Karugaba

AFTER weeks of grappling with quorum, the deputy speaker Jacob Oulanyah seems to be running out of patience. He wants members sent on recess “so that they can attend to other business.”

Speaking on Monday during a special session attended by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and his Kenya counterpart Kenyatta Uhuru, Oulanyah said he would meet the President and discuss the matter.

“For the last few weeks, I have been grappling with issues of quorum. Today I told President Uhuru that he is lucky because all members have come to listen to him. Please come again like this tomorrow and we complete the constitutional amendments,” he said.

“Actually I plan to meet the President and discuss this matter so that members can go and do other business,” he said to applause from members.

After the session and after seeing off Kenyatta, Museveni returned to the parliamentary VIP room to meet Oulanyah. The closed door meeting took over 40 minutes. Details of the meeting are still scanty.

Members were due to go on recess in September to participate in electoral activities.

Over the past two months, parliament has been stuck with the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2015. 

The object of the Bill is to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda in accordance with Articles 259 and 262 of the Constitution to; change the name of the Electoral Commission, increase retirement age of Justices and Judges, provide for the Judicial Service Commission to appoint staff previously appointed through the Public Service Commission, establish land boards and for the creation of a Salaries and Remuneration Board.

Unfortunately, the House has not yet raised the required numbers Parliamentarians to take a decision on the Bill.

Article 262 provides that for a decision to be taken at second reading, which is the stage at which the current Constitution Amendment Bill is, it has to be supported by 250 MPs of which they must all be in favour of the passing of the Bill for second reading.

After this, the House will then consider the Bill clause by clause at Committee level. At the conclusion of this stage, for the Bill to be passed into an Act of Parliament, again 250 Members of Parliament have to vote in its favour at the third reading.

Last week, Oulanyah directed all MPs to attend plenary of the House on Tuesday (today). He directed the Clerk to Parliament to issue communication through all forms of media and cancel all other committee activities so as to realise the quorum required.

In addition, he urged the party whips to mobilise their members in an attempt to raise the required quorum with the hope that 250 of these will vote in favour of the second and third readings of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill.