On Friday, Uganda's Parliament passed the Uganda Trypanosomiasis (Repeal) Bill 2024, which will see the dissolution of the Trypanosomiasis Control Council.

Consequently, the functions of the council and the secretariat will be transferred to the agriculture ministry.

According to Parliament, the move will relieve the government of the "financial drain on its resourses and burden of wasteful administration and expenditure by maintaining a council whose functions are already largely being performed by the ministry".

Moved by trade state minister David Bahati on behalf of the absent agrculture ministers, the Bill sought to repeal the Uganda Trypanosomiasis Control Council Act.

In its report, Parliament's agriculture committee highlighted the achievements of the Trypanosomiasis Control Council.

One of them is successful elimination of human sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis) from Uganda.

Committee chairperson Janet Okori Moe (Abim Woman MP), who tabled the report, said that so as not to lose the achievements of the council and continue implementing the strategies for control of animal diseases, the staff of the Trypanosomiasis Control Council should be mainstreamed into the agriculture ministry.

The Trypanosomiasis Control Council was created by an act of Parliament 32 years ago.

It was formed with a purpose of formulating policies, guidelines and to conduct tsetse fly and trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness research.

Official reports indicate that in the 2022/2023 financial year, the entity had 18 staff and a wage bill of sh850 million.

According to Clause 6(2) of the law, these are in regard to supervision of relevant research institutions, solicitation of funds relevant for the implementation of the programme and undertaking periodic reviews, among others.

Committe chair Okori-Moe said the act will come into force on a date the agriculture minister deems right.

However, Kumi municipality Silas Aogon expressed worry that leaving the subject hanging would occasion delays in service delivery. 

“What happens when the minister sleeps on duty? I have seen for instance; we have asked ministers here to bring regulations…But they have taken forever. This House has a duty to institute a commencement date. You can say commence six months after assent,” he suggested.

Responding to the Aogon, Deputy Attorney General Jackson Kafuuzi contended that by adding six months, the House would be defeating the sole purpose of this rationalization bill.

“We are trying to save money that is going to an organization that is redundant and you are saying we give it six more months, meaning that it has to be budgeted for," he said.

"Remember we are entering the next financial year."

On her part, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among reasoned that this means that the minister will have to act as fast as possible the moment the bill is assented to.