The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has told journalists that if President Yoweri Museveni continues to delay singing pending bills next year, parliament will be left with no option apart from passing them into laws.
Kadaga who was giving the performance report of the 10th Parliament this year, said on Friday that the constitution gives Parliament authority to pass bills if the president fails to sign on them in a stipulated period of time.
“Several bills have been sent before the President by our Clerk of Parliament like the Landlord and tenants bill but the constitution gives me the command as the Speaker of the House to pass them and they start working if president delays to sign on them without giving us reasons why,” she said.
She added that in July, parliament presented several bills on electoral reforms such as Electoral commission amendment bill, presidential elections amendment bill, Parliamentary elections amendment bill, Political parties organisation bill and local governments amendments bill. She said that such bills will make a major impact on the electoral laws of Uganda.
“What I can confirm is that yesterday the committee had completed writing the reports so they will be handled as the first business when we return in order to get them off the agenda,” Kadaga said.
She also emphasized that Parliament will not allow any project on the Murchison falls.
“We have resoundingly rejected the government’s proposal of constructing the dam on Murchison fall on behalf of people, that is the message we told the minister to take to the cabinet and they should no that there is no need of conducting any study around it. It’s crazy that it’s a seasonal fall and they are planning around the season fall.
“We also asked the president to come and address the House about the brutality of the UPDF on the waters and another place, so am looking forward early in the year so that he can come and address these issues,” she said.
This year Parliament has held 170 sittings, passed a total of 22 bills, the most outstanding was the landlord and tenant Bill,2018 which sought to regulate the relationship between the landlords. Matters of national importance 213, they have raised 250 questions during the Prime minsters question.
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