Speaker Among rallies lawmakers on research based performance

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has rallied legislators to undertake in-depth research to enrich their input and add value to the country’s legislative processes.

She made the call while addressing lawmakers at the opening of the three-day training seminar for members of the 11th Parliament taking place at the Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala on Wednesday.

“Your input should be evidence-based and reports should have qualitative and quantitative research. As legislators, I implore you to work together with purpose for the 11th Parliament despite your political, gender, and religion divides,” Among said.

She equally urged all MPs to ensure that they deliver on their mandate in their respective constituencies, arguing that their regular engagement with the constituents is vital as it will guarantee them another term in office.

Chris Obore, the Director of Communication and Public Affairs at Parliament revealed that the training organized by the Parliamentary Commission aims at ensuring continuous improvement in the quality of output and the overall efficiency of the institution.

He explained that the training has been long overdue owing to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the sudden demise of the former Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah.

Speaking to URN during a separate interview, Winnie Kiiza, the former Kasese District Woman Representative and the former Leader of Opposition in Parliament implored the MPs, especially the new ones to read extensively aside from the training in order to effectively conduct legislation, appropriation, representation and exercise their oversight mandate.

The 11th Parliament comprises 529 MPs. Such a huge number of lawmakers makes it hard for each MP to benefit from the research department of the house due to logistical constraints. Recently, Mathias Mpuuga, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament observed that the overwhelming number has caused laxity among the legislators because they lack information and consequently shy away from critical issues or simply become complacent.

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