On Wednesday, the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, was forced to prematurely adjourn the House due to the absence of government Ministers.
Among expressed her disappointment upon realizing that not one of the 83 ministers had shown up to address the day’s inquiries.
“As you can see, this session has been left unattended, and we are left questioning the presence of our Ministers. How can we conduct the business of the House? Our Members have pressing issues, and without the Ministers, it becomes increasingly challenging,” she remarked.
In an effort to address the persistent issue of absenteeism, Speaker Among announced her intention to engage in discussions with the Executive (President Museveni) to ensure that legislative business no longer grinds to a halt.
“I am uncertain if we can continue like this; I need to have a dialogue with the Executive on this matter. We will approach the Executive to discuss this matter. If this House is exclusively intended for Members of Parliament, then let us be forthright about it,” she said.
Several ministers have come forward to provide explanations for their absences.
Vincent Ssempijja, Minister of Defence & Veterinary Affairs, attributed his delayed arrival at yesterday’s plenary session to heavy traffic congestion.
“I began my journey from Mbuya at 1 p.m., but the roads were severely congested. Despite using sirens, it was impossible to manoeuvre through the traffic. In my case, it was genuinely due to traffic congestion, and I was only 11 minutes late. We always respect the authority of Parliament and strive to arrive on time, but today, the traffic was the culprit,” Ssempijja explained.
Huda Abason Oleru, State Minister for Veteran Affairs, cited her substantial workload as the primary challenge she faces.
“The challenge we face is striking a balance between our parliamentary duties and ministerial responsibilities. Our tardiness is not intentional. I regret the House had to be adjourned, and we will make efforts to improve our punctuality,” she stated.
Rukia Nakadama, Third Deputy Prime Minister, defended her fellow Ministers by pointing out that they typically arrive just a few minutes after the plenary session has commenced.
“I arrived two minutes after the session had begun, and then the Speaker adjourned the House. I believe there will be improvements. We will continue to remind the Ministers about the issue of punctuality. Their heavy workload often forces them to arrive late, but it is not done deliberately,” Nakadama said.