Parliament passes only 19 Bills this year

As the 11th Parliament embarked on its second session on June 7, the government said it would take to the House 62 Bills for legislation during the course of the year.

Records from Parliament, however, indicate that so far, only 19 Bills have been passed.

Those that were endorsed by the House include the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill, 2022, a Private Member’s Bill targeting online critics, which was moved by Mr Muhammed Nsereko (Kampala Central) and passed in September.

Others are the Public Health (Amendment) Bill, 2022, the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2022, the Kampala Capital City (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (as returned by the President) and the Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2022 (also, as returned by the President).

Also on the list is the Uganda Human Organ Donation and Transplant Bill, 2022, an important fragment of healthcare, which among other things, seeks to resolve the issue of increasing trade in human organ transplant.

The Labour Unions (Amendment) Bill, the Veterinary Practitioners Bill, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Bill (EEC) and the Uganda National Kiswahili Council Bill, among others are yet to be enacted.

Mr Robert Kyomuhendo, the press secretary of the Prime Minister, Ms Robinah Nabbanja, told Daily Monitor on Wednesday that his boss and other officials were slated to have a meeting yesterday [Thursday] to take stock of the State’s performance during the year.

“We shall only be able to make a conclusive statement after this meeting,” Mr Kyomuhendo said.

When we reached out again for an update, the calls went unanswered.

Overall, Parliament held 59 sittings in the second session that closed for a Christmas break on December 23.

Among other businesses conducted, the House passed 28 resolutions, including the one passed in July which saw the government giving a nod to the proposal to acquire 150,000 preference shares in Roko Construction Company [a little over Shs200b was to be spent on acquisition]. The Opposition in the House criticised the deal arguing that no room was allocated for debate on the matter.

Protests then took centre stage in November after a divided House authorised another resolution for the government to borrow Shs1.7 trillion loan from Standard Chartered Bank and other financial institutions to finance the development and infrastructure budget for the Financial Year 2022/2023.

Legislators criticised the loan for its high cost and poor terms of agreement.

Parliament also witnessed the administration of six oaths including one to Mr Andrew Ojok Oulanyah, the Omoro County legislator replacing his father the late Jacob Oulanyah, the then Speaker.

Oulanyah died in March at America’s University of Washington Medical Centre after battling persistent lymphoma cancer.

His death raised a lot of commotion after Mr Nathan Okori, his father, made claims that Oulanyah was poisoned.

Another death that shook Parliament was that of Serere County MP Patrick Okabe on December 19 following a head-on- collision accident on Mbale-Tirinyi road.

Eulogised as a peaceful and God-fearing man, Okabe died with his wife. Legislators tasked the government to do more to reduce road accidents.

From Opposition, under the leadership of Mr Mathias Mpuuga, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP),the lawmakers have been demanding accountability on several issues, including the high cost of living, missing persons and the state of their two imprisoned colleagues, Mr Allan Ssewanyana (Makindye West) and Mr Muhammad Ssegirinya (Kawempe North) who continue being on remand on accusations of terrorism, murder, attempted murder, aiding and abetting terrorism.

Some of the Bills government said it would take to Parliament for legislation this year [Some have been passed while others are pending debate]

·  The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces Act (Amendt) Bill 2022

·The Social Impact Assessment and Accountability Bill

· The Uganda National Kiswahili Council Bill

· The Employment (Amendt) Bill

· The Occupational Safety and Health (Amendment) Bill

·The Workers Compensation (Amendment) Bill

· Labour Unions (Amendt) Bill

· The Culture and Creative Bill

·The Veterinary Practitioners Bill

· Animal Diseases Amendt Bill

· The Companies (Amendt) Bill, 2022

· The Insolvency (Amendt) Bill, 2022.

· The Law Revision (Miscellaneous Amendt) Bill, 2022.

· Energy Efficiency and Conservation Bill (EEC)

·Amendment of Atomic Energy Act,2008

· Building Substances Bill, 2022

·  The National Health Insurance Scheme Bill, 2019

· The Food and Drug Authority Bill, 2017

·Health Professional Councils Authority Bill, 2016

· The Museums and Monuments Bill 2022

·The Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium (Amendment) Bill

·Business Technical Vocational Education and Training (Amendment) Bill

· The National Teachers’ Bill

· The Physical Activity and Sports Bill

· 25 The Local Govt (Amendt) Bill 

· The Uganda Communication (Amendment) Bill

· National Information Technology (Amendment) Bill

· Engineers Registration (Amendment) Bill

· Uganda Railways Corporation (Amendment) Bill

· Land Acquisition Bill, 2022

· Real Estates Bill, 2022

·Land Act (Amendment) Bill, 2022

· Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill

·Small Arms and Light Weapons Control Bill

· Transitional Justice Bill

· Microfinance Deposit Taking Institutions (Amendment) Bill, 2020

· Annual Macroeconomic and Fiscal Performance Report FY 2021/2022

· National Budget Framework Paper for FY 2023/2024

· Semi-Annual Budget Performance Report FY 2022/2023

·        Semi-Annual Macroeconomic and Fiscal Performance Report FY 2022/2023

·        Annual Budget Estimates FY 2023/2024

·        The Appropriation Bill FY 2023/2024

·        Treasury Memoranda FY 2023/2024

·        Corrigenda FY 2023/24

·        Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023

·        Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2023

·        The Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023

·        The Stamps Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2023

·        Traffic and Road Safety (Amendment) Bill, 2023

·        Lotteries and Gaming (Amendment) Bill, 2023

·        The Tax Procedures Code (Amendment) Bill 2023