The 11th Parliament is made up of 556 Members of Parliament (MPs), 526 directly elected and 27 ex-officio. Yet, despite the large number, only a small section consistently stands out to speak during debates. Several MPs remain noticeably silent on the floor of the House.
Political analysts point to a mix of structural, political, and personal factors that limit vocal participation. For instance, Uganda’s Parliament sits on Tuesday to Thursday – from 2pm to 7pm, giving members limited time to debate. With a chamber of 556 MPs and recesses that sometimes stretch for months, opportunities to speak are further reduced. Formal rules grant the presiding Speaker authority to adjust sitting days or times depending on the business at hand.
Still, given the size of Parliament, even if each MP were allocated five minutes, not all would get a chance to speak. Some analysts attribute the silence to incompetence, while others argue that limited time is a genuine hindrance. MPs who arrive early, consistently rise to seek the Speaker’s attention, or raise procedural matters are more likely to be recognised. Although the Speaker has discretion over who speaks and for how long, priority is usually given to MPs with business before the House. These include ministers presenting statements, shadow ministers responding to government positions, committee leaders tabling reports, and MPs moving motions listed on the order paper.
This reduces the chances for backbench MPs to be heard. The Leader of Opposition and Leader of Government Business are allocated specific time since their duties require presenting official positions, responding to ministers, or guiding discussions. This gives them more microphone time than ordinary MPs. Not all MPs attend plenary consistently. Those who may not raise issues on the floor often have opportunities in committee sessions. Every MP is assigned to at least two committees: one sectoral and one standing, except ministers. The Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition, Government Chief Whip, and Opposition Whip sit on two standing committees: Business and Appointments committees.
Committees are considered the backbone of parliamentary work. They scrutinise budgets and government programmes, giving MPs space to contribute outside plenary. However, some MPs still miss out on these sessions, denying themselves another opportunity to be heard.
Historians and political analysts, including Dr John Paul Kasujja and Mwambutsya Ndebesa, argue that incompetence is the cardinal issue.
‘Many MPs cannot articulate issues…they don’t know the laws… So it is very difficult for them to discuss because in your arguments you will be quoting the Constitution,’ Mr Kasujja says.
Mr Ndebesa also notes that ‘some fear being ‘blacklisted’ for taking independent stands, especially with the presence of military MPs who, according to President Museveni, act as ‘listening posts’ reporting to him views seen as hostile to the government. As a result, many legislators choose silence as a survival strategy.