Uganda’s Third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister without Portfolio, Rukia Nakadama, has proposed a mandatory attendance roster for ministers in Parliament to address persistent absenteeism that has frequently disrupted legislative business.
Speaking after appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, Nakadama said the proposed system would identify ministers expected to attend parliamentary sittings and hold them accountable for repeated absences.
“We want to have a roster where we shall be putting names of ministers that are supposed to appear in Parliament so that when they don’t appear for three times we report them to the appointing authority,” she told reporters.
“We want to ensure that the work of Parliament does not stand, at least let it be other people, not us,” she added.
Her remarks came shortly after the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Crispus Walter Kiyonga, pledged to work with ministers to improve attendance in the House and support the Prime Minister in his role as Leader of Government Business.
“We shall help our boss, the Prime Minister and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, to ensure that we remind Cabinet ministers to be here in Parliament whenever they are needed,” Kiyonga said.
He added: “We have been elected by our people to come and articulate their issues and see how the national cake is being shared, so it’s critical.”
Absenteeism by MPs and ministers has long been a source of tension in Parliament, with lawmakers frequently complaining about delays in responding to questions and government business due to the absence of responsible ministers.
The issue repeatedly drew criticism from former Speaker Anita Annet Among, who often questioned ministers over their failure to attend plenary sittings when required.
The comments came as ministers appointed by President Museveni on May 26 started appearing before the Appointments Committee for vetting in an exercise expected to last 4 days. The committee is chaired by Speaker Jacob Oboth-Oboth.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze, who retained his portfolio in the new Cabinet, said the government would continue supporting farmers through affordable financing.
“We shall be working with the Ministry of Finance to continue opening up favourable low-interest loans through Uganda Development Bank and other government banks so that all categories of farmers are supported,” Tumwebaze said.
He added: “If the bigger part of the arable land we have in Uganda is put to good use, Uganda will be the real food basket for the world.”
Newly appointed Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation in the Office of the President, Jonard Asiimwe, said innovation would remain central to government efforts across sectors.
“When you talk about health, agriculture and information technology, all require innovation,” he said.