A day after MPs from Northern Uganda exchanged bitterly with leader of opposition (LOP) Joel Ssenyonyi over the first regional parliamentary sitting expected to take place in Gulu City, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa has guided on the way forward. The shadow cabinet has called for a boycott of the regional sittings and deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa is trying to convince the opposition against the idea of staying away.
Joel Ssenyonyi has particularly been angry with the speaker of parliament for writing to him to mobilize opposition MPs to attend regional sittings that will begin with Gulu in the North, head to the East, West and end in central Uganda yet he has been sidelined and sometimes reportedly locked of meeting of the Parliamentary Commission where he is a member.
“Who sits and approves these things apart from the Parliamentary Commission, which I am a member of and I don’t know?” asked Ssenyonyi. “Because if we had sat and discussed and then pour thoughts, whether be in the business Committee are taken care of, and then we come to some kind of understanding.”
Ssenyonyi claims up to Shs20bn will be spent on the sittings, with each costing Shs5bn. He has told MPs from the Northern Uganda sub-regions of Acholi, Karamoja and Lango not to tribalize the regional sittings and hide under the guise of fighting poverty, saying the sittings will not make their constituents less poor or any richer.
“When you see the poverty in some of these areas and you tell people that this Shs5Bn is just for a meeting, it doesn’t make sense at all. So, they shouldn’t start tribalizing this issue because it isn’t tribal at all. We are opposed to the regional sittings in the North, West, East and Central,” noted Ssenyonyi.
“We can have our sitting here and deliberate for Northern Uganda because Northern Uganda has got good representatives here who can speak on behalf of their people. Are they saying that their matters will only be heard if Parliament sits in that particular area? Why do we have to spend an extra Shs5bn to transport all MPs [and meet other costs]?”
But Northern Uganda MPs fired back at Ssenyonyi for his criticism and call for a boycott, saying the Shs20bn needed was a drop in the ocean of the Shs72tn budget for the FY2024-2025. Ojara Mapenduzi, the Bardege-Layibi Division MP, even claimed Ssenyonyi was opposed to the regional sittings because the one for central would be hosted in Masaka City, the home town of his predecessor Mathias Mpuuga who has since fallen out with the NUP party.
“When you hear such statements, [they are] coming from an angle that is biased, that is malicious, but I also think that it is intended to continue with the blackmail that has been going on, painting Parliament dirty,” claimed Mapenduzi.
“I also know that there is politics at play, so if he has a problem with Masaka, where Mathias Mpuuga comes from, that is their own problem. We are also informed that the President will go and open the one in Gulu and we know that Ssenyonyi has repeatedly boycotted every venue where the President is. So if that is the strategy to demobilize, then we understand him.”
THOMAS TAYEBWA GUIDES
When the matter came up during plenary on August 08, Tayebwa said the war of words between Northern Uganda MPs and LOP Ssenyonyi were not necessary. He also argued that it was not true that parliament would spend Shs5bn on each sitting.
“I also saw the exchange on the media which were uncalled for, and that is why I say, when we are making statements, we should be very conscious. For example, I don’t think we are spending Shs5bn and I read is it Shs5bn per day and now the public is saying, ‘you stop those sittings so that we pay interns,” he said.
“And I tell you some of the statements we make here, we open fire against ourselves indirectly, in this House if we think some of us will go clean and others dirty, it may end up, you know, mixed up.”
Tayebwa also noted that the speaker had powers to cause a sitting to happen anywhere but said it was the intention of the administration of parliament to ensure that no MP is left behind regarding the regional sittings. He ruled out pleas for a debate on the floor of parliament on the issue of regional sittings. The deputy speaker said guidance would come through next week and that the matter would be handled “internally.”
“Under Rule 7 of the General Authority of the Speaker, the Speaker can determine where the sitting can be held, that is how we go to Kololo, that is how we used to go to Serena (Hotel). I can’t remember where we had a motion here, where we first debate and say, we have made a resolution,” Tayebwa said.
“We are going to inform you formally on Tuesday or Wednesday in the sitting here. Our role will be to ensure that we bring everyone on board and I know that there are some MPs who were not happy that I denied them the chance to reply to Leader of Opposition. Please, these are our issues internally, this shouldn’t be an issue of debate here.”
