In a bid to hold the executive branch accountable and strengthen parliamentary oversight, civil society groups and veteran politicians are advising the legislature not to approve cabinet ministers who have underperformed, as indicated by the recently released parliamentary Hansard scorecard.
This move is seen as a potential wake-up call to the executive branch, which some argue has historically undermined the authority of parliament.
The parliamentary Hansard has revealed that several high-profile ministers, including Internal Affairs Minister and Ruhinda County MP Kahinda Otafire, Minister of State in the Office of the Vice President and Buikwe District Woman MP Diana Mutasingrwa, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Adjumani West MP Moses Ali, and Army Commander Gen. Wilson Mbadi, did not utter a single word during the last 105 plenary sittings of parliament.
The Center for Policy Analysis, a civil society group, along with veteran politician Ssebuliba Mutumba, are advocating for legislators to consider the Hansard report card during the next cabinet reshuffle.
They believe that parliament should use this performance assessment as a basis to either approve or reject the appointment of ministers.
The Hansard report card reveals that some opposition backbenchers, such as Dokolo Woman MP Cecilia Ogwal, Butambala District Woman MP Aisha Kabanda, Kilak South MP Gilbert Olanya, and Kalungu West MP Joseph Ssewungu, outperformed several ministers in terms of their participation and contributions in parliamentary proceedings.
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Chemonges, Program Officer at the Center for Policy Analysis, and Ssebuliba Mutumba argue that the executive's practice of appointing ministers who are also Members of Parliament undermines the role and effectiveness of the legislative branch.
"The executive being appointed by the president undermines parliament," asserts Chemonges.
However, former Kawempe South Division MP Mubarak Munyagwa believes that addressing these issues requires a constitutional amendment to separate the roles and powers of MPs and ministers.
"The law should be amended to prevent ministers from simultaneously serving as MPs." Munyagwa emphasized
Efforts to obtain a response from the Government Chief Whip regarding the parliamentary Hansard book report have not yielded any results.
As Uganda grapples with issues of parliamentary oversight and executive accountability, the call to use the Hansard scorecard as a tool for assessing ministerial performance marks a potential shift in the nation's political landscape, with the aim of bolstering transparency, accountability, and efficiency within the government.
