Jacob Marksons Oboth (Oboth-Oboth), the Speaker of the 12th Parliament of Uganda, is widely known for his cool, collected and highly disciplined demeanour. It is now barely a month since he became Speaker, and his positive impact is already being felt across the country, but more importantly, in the August House itself. This giant and smart former village herdsboy from Muwafu Village, West Budama Central Constituency, Tororo District, and who owes his education to the community, has become the Speaker at the right time.
When his name was finally proposed by the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, following the former Speaker’s corruption-related investigations, every Ugandan was in total agreement and approval. Oboth-Oboth has hit the ground running, guiding Parliament without any glitch. This is largely because, despite being a smart lawyer, he is a seasoned legislator who previously headed the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, among others. The coming of Oboth-Oboth as Speaker of Parliament was a very timely moment.
The August House had been debased to incredible levels. Going by what is coming out through the mass media and the investigative organs of government, the honourable House had been reduced to a deals house. Days after Oboth-Oboth became Speaker, an air of political and financial serenity began to be felt. As is the norm, he must be studying the systems before he makes a complete cleanup that Ugandans are eagerly waiting to see. Before the dust even settles, he reallocated nearly Shs24b from the Office of the Speaker, directly to parliamentary committees.
This move aims to ensure parliamentary committees are fully funded to execute their oversight mandates, without relying on centralised or discretionary travel funds controlled by the Speaker. Parliament has faced persistent corruption allegations, with reports of questionable spending, cash handouts and abuse of office fuelling public scrutiny and demands for accountability. Matters were not helped by the various exposés of various media houses, which dug out the dirt that involved most legislators. This was so terrible that it generated outrage. Some serious MDAs, mandated to deliver serious services to Ugandans, do not get such funds for a whole financial year.
Against that backdrop, primitive or ostentatious display of wealth by public officials only deepened public frustration, reinforcing perceptions of inequality, breeds resentment and diverts capital from productive investments. It also triggers costly, competitive ‘status games’ among Ugandans. No wonder becoming a Member of Parliament (MP) has become a matter of life and death! Showing off wealth increases the risk of theft and scams and fosters a toxic culture of materialism, where self-worth is solely tied to possessions. In brief, Oboth-Oboth has his plate full. He will have to reset the ethos in the 12th Parliament, but the good thing is, he has the goodwill of all Ugandans. We wish you all the best, ladit OO.