Speaker Kadaga Quits NRM Caucus

Yasiin Mugerwa

21 May 2011

The new House Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, moving to quell the pessimism about her neutrality has opted to quit the ruling National Resistance Movement Caucus and promised to be a Speaker for all MPs, including the opposition.

Ms Kadaga, the NRM flag-bearer who defeated opposition strongman Nandala Mafabi of the Forum for Democratic Change on Thursday, also promised impartiality and offered to deal with corrupt Members of Parliament in her attempt to clean the House’s image that has been tainted with corruption.

Ms Kadaga was speaking in a televised interview on Thursday where she vowed to run a vibrant institution, ensure accountability and promote good governance and service delivery.

Ms Kadaga is the first woman to be elected Speaker in Uganda. She will be deputised by Omoro Country MP Jacob Oulanyah (NRM) .

“My focus is not on the supremacy of the (NRM) party. It’s with the public interest,” Ms Kadaga said.

“I am not a member of the NRM Caucus anymore. From today onwards no Caucus for me. Whatever decisions I will take (in the rulings) will be mine. I have been a deputy Speaker for 10 years and my record is clear. I have been impartial and I am going to remain objective, nothing is going to change. All members are equal in the House.”

Responding to cynics that the 9th Parliament might be similar to the 8th Parliament, Ms Kadaga said: “Please judge as an individual, don’t bundle me with others. Respect my intelligence and judge me as an individual.

Why should you judge me even before I start work? With 60 per cent of the 9th Parliament being new members, these people are committed and this is going to be a vibrant parliament.

It’s going to be a parliament which is sensitive to the needs of the people.” For allowing the ruling party to manipulate Parliament, opposition lawmakers accuse the outgoing Speaker of hiding behind the NRM mob to help the government push through anti-people policies.

On various occasions, decisions on controversial issues such as the Land Amendments Bill, the Cultural Leaders Bill, the Shs1.7 trillion fighter jets deal, the Shs602 billion Supplementary Budget, the exoneration of Chogm ministers, the Temangalo land scandal, among others have made the NRM Caucus more or less an extension of Parliament.

Pending Bill

On the pending Bills in the 8th Parliament, Ms Kadaga said she had perused through the House rules of procedure and had not seen anywhere they say pending business should not be brought back to the next Parliament.

There are more than 20 Bills pending including Retirement Benefits Sector Liberalisation Bill 2011, Anti-Gay Bill, Marriage and Divorce Bill, HIV/Aids Prevention and Control Bill, Regional Governments Bill, among others.

“I am going to ensure that these Bills are revised. There is no any rule of procedure that says these Bills should elapse with the dissolution of Parliament. These Bills can be revised otherwise keeping them away will not solve anything,” Ms Kadaga said.

On the Marriage and Divorce Bill, Kadaga said: “The government should allow this Bill to be debated, 47 years of waiting for reforms is unacceptable. If there are controversial clauses, then we can amend the Bill and pass it into law.”

Handle everything

On the pending reports such as the House’s Public Accounts Committee reports on the findings of the Auditor General and Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises reports, the annual IGG and Uganda Human Rights Commission reports that have never been discussed in Parliament, she said, will be handled.

The new Speaker, however, declined to comment on President Museveni’s proposed Constitutional amendments.

The President had said earlier that after the election of the Speaker and Deputy, he would ask Parliament to amend the Constitution to deny bail for rioters, defilers, murderers, rapists and economic saboteurs. The proposal has since been condemned by opposition as offensive.

“I will be arbitrating when those amendments come to the floor of Parliament. I don’t want to talk about that matter now. Let’s wait until then.”

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