Members of parliament attending the regional parliamentary sitting at Kaunda Grounds. Photo by Proscovia Achomo

By Proscovia Achomo

Gulu City

The regional parliamentary sitting started on Wednesday August 28, 2024 at Kaunda Grounds in Bardege Layibi Division in Gulu City with 310 Members of parliament in attendance with more expected to attend.

The president of the republic of Uganda is expected to address the sitting on Thursday,29 August 2024.
 
Presiding over the sitting, the speaker of parliament Rt. Hon Anita Among put much emphasis on the decision by parliament to hold regional parliamentary sittings in four regions of Uganda bringing the parliament closer to the people.

She dismissed the misconceptions among the members of the public and a section of some MPs, clarifying that these regional sittings are budget neutral and that there is nothing like incurring additional cost.

Anita however noted that the already existing budget for parliamentary outreaches has been strategically upgraded to support fully-fledged house sittings, which will deliberate upon matters that are distinct and pertinent to specific regions hosting the sittings.

Unlike outreaches, the speaker said that the deliberations during these sittings will culminate into parliamentary resolutions and will require government action, “we always have money that is available for outreaches and in these outreaches, we could only invite the leaders of the areas, but in this case we said, instead of calling only the leadership of the areas, let’s go and have a sitting in that specific region and get issues that are affecting the region , have resolutions and forward it to the executives for action,” she explained.
 
The speaker therefore, explained that parliament is not a stationary building but an arm of government that can convene in any part of the country.

"The 11^th parliament right from inception in 2021, vowed to put the people at the center of legislative processes and its decision, which is why we are taking the parliament to the people,” she reasoned.

She also confirmed that legally and procedurally, the regional sittings of parliament are anchored in article 95(2) of the constitution of republic of Uganda,1995. “It is the same legal basis upon which parliament sits in Kololo grounds and Kampala Serena Hotel and in any case, Gulu where we are holding the historic sitting, is part of Uganda, and therefore, no one in their own state of mind can attempt to deprive the beloved people of Northern Uganda the opportunity of the landmark sitting,” says the speaker.

Anita Among urged Ugandans to believe in the outcomes of the regional sittings as their resolutions will be implemented.

Hamson Denis Obua, the government chief whip said that this sitting is a big boost to the Gulu economy, to the Northern Uganda economy because over ten committees of parliament in the last two weeks were deployed in Westline, Acholi, Lango and Karamoja. “The sitting has three fundamental importance which are legal, economic and historical because the outcome is huge,” Obua said.

Some of the Political, cultural and religious leaders from Acholi, Lango, West Nile and Karamoja sub regions are also in attendance.

The regional parliamentary sittings will basically concentrate more on discussing issues composed by committees of parliament which appropriately interact with the communities ahead of these planned regional parliamentary the sittings.

The Gulu session marks one of four first ever planned regional sittings for this financial year, with the next session to be announced later.