Uganda pins EALA speaker hopes on Dora Byamukama

If the rapturous applause that greeted her in the House on Wednesday is anything to go by, Dora Byamukama, 49, can harbour dreams of becoming the Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly.

She will be the sole Ugandan nominee, New Vision online has established.

Byamukama is bouncing back for a second term, having served in 2007-2011 in what was considered a highly successful term by many.

She drafted two key Bills - the Administration of EALA Act, 2010 and The East African Parliamentary Institute, 2010 - which were enacted into law.

This was in addition to her invaluable contribution to the development of EALA’s first strategic plan and EALA’s major maiden publication - Bunge La Africa Mashariki, a magazine aimed at bridging the information divide among the citizens of the five member states Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda.

“In the few EALA sectorial meetings as a representative of the Ugandan parliament, I found her submissions very constructive. She presented many bills,” recalls Ashton Kajara, the MP for Mwenge South, which Byamukama represented over five years ago. During her time in Parliament, she distinguished herself as a fighter for the rights of women and children.

In her weekly column in New Vision Byamukama continues to espouse those values, although her subjects have expanded to economics and society, among others. “She never rests until she has finished a task,” says John Arimpa Kigyagi, the former MP for Mbarara Municipality, who served in the Seventh Parliament.

Those who know her say she possesses the ability to arbitrate and this came in handy when NRM primaries were threatening to rip the party apart.

“Her ability to bring people together where there were disagreements helped us to put our differences behind us for the sake of the cohesion of our party,” Kigayagi says.

In July 2001, when Byamukama was elected MP, she served as vice-chair and later chair of the legal committee, chaired the equal opportunities committee and the select committee on industrial relations.

She has drafted a number of bills, among them the Persons with Disabilities, Trafficking in Persons, Labour Laws, Domestic Violence, Female Genital Mutilation and Reproductive Rights.

A lawyer by profession, she has served as assistant project director of the International Law Institute Kampala Training Centre and principal legal officer for the Uganda Post and Telecommunications Corporation.

She holds a Bachelor’s of Laws and Master’s degree from Makerere University; she is an international expert and consultant on law, social justice and development.

As she goes back to Arusha for her final term, expectations cannot get higher. “She is our best representative and I am hoping she will aspire for speakership when she gets there, because it time for Uganda,” Kigyagi says.