_______________________

KAMPALA - The Parliamentary Commission, established under Article 87A of the Constitution, has been fully constituted with the endorsement of the Leader of the Opposition and four backbench commissioners.

Nakawa West MP Joel Ssenyonyi of the National Unity Platform (NUP) has taken on the mantle of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, replacing fellow NUP politician Mathias Mpuuga.

Mpuuga, who represents Nyendo-Mukungwe Division in Parliament, will now serve as a backbench commissioner of the House representing the Opposition.

He will serve alongside Solomon Silwany (Bukooli Central), Prossy Akampurira (Rubanda), and Esther Afoyochan (Zombo), who all retained their positions as backbench commissioners representing the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Speaker Anita Among made the pronouncements during the plenary sitting on Tuesday after both the Government Chief Whip, Hamson Obua, and the Opposition Chief Whip, John Baptist Nambeshe, formally presented the names of the office bearers.

Section 2 (2) of the Administration of Parliament Act provides for the composition of the commission, the highest decision-making organ of the legislature to include the speaker, Deputy Speaker, Leader of Government Business, Leader of the Opposition, the Minister responsible for Finance and four commissioners (backbench MPs).

The Clerk to Parliament is secretary to the commission, whose functions include to exercise disciplinary control over staff; and to make recommendations on the allowances payable and privileges available to the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and MPs, among others.

Among announced that Bugweri county MP Abdu Katuntu replaced Buyaga East legislator Eric Musana as a representative of independents at the Pan-African Parliament.
Kasilo County MP Elijah Okupa became a member of the board of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).

During the sitting, new leadership and membership of different Standing Committees of Parliament was constituted, with Medard Sseggona replacing Ssenyonyi as the chairperson of the Committee on Public Accounts (Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises - COSASE).