TAYEBWA’S MAIDEN SITTING AS PRESIDING OFFICER: Here’s What You Missed as New Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa Chaired his First Parliamentary Sitting

Thomas Tayebwa, the new Deputy Speaker of the 11^th Parliament, has presided over his maiden plenary sitting.

Days ago, MPs elected Tayebwa their Deputy Speaker. (Read Tayebwa’s Profile Here).

The MPs also chose Anita Among as their Speaker.

In his communication as the Chair, Tayebwa thanked MPs for voting for him and Among whom he described as his “sister.”

“Colleagues, allow me and my sister [Speaker] to thank you for elevating us to this this position. It is humbling, we shall try to fit the bill and we shall move as a House,” said Tayebwa.

“The moment the presiding officer fails, the LOP has failed, the Leader of Government business and the whole House have failed; we shall all be judged together. Let’s all work towards ensuring we succeed as a team.”

Tayebwa, the Ruhinda North MP, also tasked Finance Minister Matia Kasaija, to expedite the presentation of budget estimates for the FY2022-2023.

The Finance Minister is expected to present the final budget estimates for financial year 2022/2023 to Parliament by Thursday, 31 March 2022.

Tayebwa quoted Section 13 of the Public Finance Management Act and Rule 148 of the Rules of Procedure, while citing the urgency of timelines for the presentations.

Section 13(3) of the Public Finance Management states that, “the Minister shall, on behalf of the President, present the proposed annual budget of a financial year to Parliament, by the 1st of April of the preceding financial year.”

Rule 148(2) of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure states that, “the Speaker shall commit the proposed annual budget to the Budget Committee of Parliament and to a sectoral committee of Parliament, the part of annual budget that falls within the jurisdiction of that sectoral committee.”

“I hope we shall be ready as per these legal provisions because we do not have time to wait. We also expect to receive revenue and tax Bill’s if you have any,” said Tayebwa in his maiden communication as Chair of the House.

During the same sitting, the House received Ministerial Policy Statements and Budget Estimates for FY 2022/2023 from Ministers who had delayed to table the same. Those who presented the statements included Francis Mwebesa, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, who told the House that he failed to make his submission on March 15, 2022 because by the time it was delivered to parliament, the House had adjourned for that day; Ikuya Magode, the Minister of State for East African Community Affairs; John Mulimba, the Minister of State for Regional Affairs, who said he was in Kyankwanzi when his cabinet colleagues submitted their statements.

Tayebwa told MPs that the ministers have written explaining to the speaker why they delayed to submit policy statements.

“But I thought it would be fair for the ministers to go on record to explain to members why this [delay] happened,” added Tayebwa.

He also urged Mathias Mpuuga, the Leader of Opposition, to study the policy statements that were presented and to allow the shadow ministers to give their substantive alternative positions directly to the committees. Meanwhile, the shadow cabinet ministers also laid their Alternative Policy Statements for FY 2022/2023 in response to those presented by ministers in previous sittings.

Additional Reporting: Courtesy