- The Speaker said that where as Rule 196 of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament supports the move by the Opposition to redesignate committee chairpersons and deputy chairpersons, it has to be subjected for approval by the House through a substantive motion.
The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Among, on Wednesday rescinded a decision by the Opposition leadership in Parliament to remove Bardege-Layibi Division MP, Mr Martin Mapenduzi Ojara, from his position as chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)-Local Government reasoning that his two and a half-year term was yet to expire.
The Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP), Mr Mathias Mpuuga, on Tuesday announced changes in the leadership of the Shadow Cabinet and PAC-Local Government.
LoP replaced Mr Mapenduzi with Mr Gilbert Olanya, the Kilak South County MP, as the chairperson of PAC Local Government in what he described as enhancement of service delivery.
Mr Mpuuga also named Ms Helen Nakimuli, the Kalangala District Woman MP, as the new Shadow minister for Fisheries, and Mr Francis Katongole Katabaazi on the East Africa Community Affairs docket.
However, the Speaker in what sounded as an I-got-your-back move blocked Mr Mapenduzi’s redesignation, on grounds that the committee needed to first finish the pending assignments currently on the table.
“Honourable members, I received a letter from the Chief Opposition whip, redesignating the chairperson of PAC-Local Government and replacing him with Hon Gilbert Olanya, pursuant to rule 196 of the Rules of Procedure. However, I am also aware that the committee is in its final stages of reporting on the Auditor General’s findings for FY 2020/21,” the speaker said.
“As we do this, we need to address our minds to the precedence set by the last Parliament where a similar attempt to change the chairperson of a standing committee (PAC-COSASE), was stayed pending finalization of their work. We need this work to be done; the IMF has given us deadlines to get a treasury memorandum for these committees. The leadership [Opposition] needs to consider that we need this work done,” Ms Among further explained in her ruling.
The Speaker said that where as Rule 196 of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament supports the move by the Opposition to redesignate committee chairpersons and deputy chairpersons, it has to be subjected for approval by the House through a substantive motion.
“As we wait for that motion (after the committee has finished the work assigned to them) I am therefore not accepting the redesignation,” Ms Among ruled.
Mr Mpuuga, in his response to the Speaker’s ruling, suggested that matter be handled administratively without subjecting it to “a contest of the whole House.”
The move to re-designate the PAC-Local Government chairperson is more than meets the eye, as Mr Mapenduzi’s woes with the Opposition were instigated on February 23, 2022- when he moved a notice with the Clerk to Parliament Adolf Mwesige- seeking the removal of Mityana Municipality MP, Francis Zaake, from the Parliamentary commission.
Mapenduzi at the time said, Zaake, without exercising the avenues afforded to members in the Parliament Rules of Procedure, took to social media to insult the then Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Among (now Speaker).
The matter was referred to the committee of Rules, Privileges and Discipline, which made several recommendations including asking Zaake to apologise to the House. However, after the House had adopted the committee report, Mapenduzi moved a motion to censure the Mityana Municipality legislator, where 155 members in affirmative.
Mr Zaake accused Ms Among of engineering the move and ran to court to challenge the decision. The court is yet to rule on his petition.
As the norm in Parliament, the opposition party with the biggest number of representatives is given the mandate to choose a section of leaders in the House, which include the shadow cabinet and chairpersons of some standing committees, as well as a member in the commission.
