MPs raise concerns over “rushed” Amendment Bill

Members of Parliament on the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee have expressed skepticism about the expedited pace at which Parliament is considering the Administration of Parliament Amendment Bill 2024. The bill, introduced by Mityana South MP, Richard Lumu, seeks to add further proposals to the existing legislation.

Lumu’s bill proposes that the Leader of the Opposition be elected by all Members of Parliament, rather than appointed by the main opposition party. Additionally, he has suggested creating two new Commissioner positions. Committee members have criticized these amendments as hastily drafted and an attempt to ambush the committee.

During a presentation to the Legal Committee on Wednesday, Lumu appealed to the committee to allow him to reintroduce amendments that had previously been dropped by the Ministry of Finance due to their financial implications.

Erute South MP Jonathan Odur questioned the committee’s prioritization of Lumu’s bill over other pending legislation, including two constitutional amendment bills aimed at rationalizing government agencies.

“When you have matters before you, the Constitution takes precedent, so why would we be rushing. It has been a practice, before a program like this is drawn, an in-house meeting is called before MPs would have their input. And I was surprised that in this Committee, there is a full program that has been issued out without taking into consideration, the input of the members,” Odur said.

Soroti District Woman Representative Ann Adeke noted that Lumu’s proposed amendments would likely impose a charge on the consolidated fund due to the additional costs associated with creating two new Commissioner positions.

Written by Mike Sebalu