Opposition MPs have questioned the intentions of their colleague, Richard Lumu, the Mityana South of the Democratic Party after he presented the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to provide for the election of the Leader of the Opposition (LOP).
Lumu’s bill also seeks to include more grounds for which the LOP should be removed from office. He also wants all the opposition political parties and their MPs to participate in the approval of the shadow cabinet.
Furthermore, Lumu also wants the current act changed to make it mandatory for the LOP to consult all opposition political parties when choosing chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of committees of parliament.
The legislator argued that the manner in which the LOP is currently appointed leaves other political parties such as his own Democratic Party (DP), Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), Justice Forum (Jeema) and People’s Progressive Party (PPP) behind yet the person they did not participate in choosing is the one supposed to lead them.
“As a result, there is need to amend the Administration of Parliament Act, Cap.272 to allow for the participation of all members of opposition in Parliament in the election of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament in order to achieve effective representation,” explained Lumu.
“Whereas section 8 of the Administration of Parliament Act requires the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament to be determined through an elective process, it is silent on the composition of the electoral college for the election of the Leader of the Opposition and currently the Leader of the Opposition is designated by the party with the highest numerical strength among opposition parties in Parliament and is simply imposed on the members of opposition in Parliament without their will and consent.”
The current manner of election of Leader of the Opposition in Parliament has not only led to the suppression of the views of other opposition political parties in Parliament, continued Lumu, but also made it impossible for the members in opposition in Parliament to hold the Leader of the Opposition accountable.
Lumu’s opposition colleagues such as Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda of the FDC trashed the bill, saying it would set a very bad precedent and reverse democratic gains. He predicted that not even the NRM, if it ever becomes an opposition party, would not like to be treated the way Lumu wants the main opposition party treated.
“The Party in opposition is as a result of a general election, whether I agree or disagree with them, I think depriving them of choosing who should lead their team in Parliament is unfair. In principle, I don’t agree with this because I believe that this is politics that shouldn’t be settled by law,” submitted Ssemujju.
“We need to speak to ourselves if there are issues we don’t agree with, but to bring a law to deprive a party in opposition from choosing a Leader of Opposition, would be setting a very bad precedent because you see, today National Unity Platform is in Opposition, tomorrow it might be NRM.”
Nakaseke South MP Lutamaguzi Ssemakula of the NUP accused Lumu of hiding away from opposition party members, including the LOP, Joel Ssenyonyi. Lutamaguzi wonder who Lumu works for but warned him he would politically fall like a sack of potatoes.
“Even up to date, the Leader of Opposition has been waiting for him but hasn’t been in position to meet with him, he even consulted amongst political parties and they all rejected his Bill, so the question is, who is he working for?” he asked.
“He may think that he has taken the day through the Deputy Speaker’s protection on the floor of Parliament, but this might be the beginning of his downfall.”
Other bills expected to come include one by former LOP Mathias Mpuuga who wants several things changed ahead of the 2026 elections. (See Details Here).
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