The Ugandan Parliament is seeking deep institutional ties with the United Kingdom’s House of Commons to strengthen parliamentary diplomacy and draw lessons for reforms in the country’s legislature.
Speaker Jacob Markson Oboth said Uganda could draw valuable lessons from the UK Parliament’s long institutional history as it undertakes reforms to improve management and affairs of the legislature.
Oboth made the call on September 17 during his meeting with the Speaker of the UK House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, in London.
Their discussion centred on legislative accountability, transparency and deepening UK-Uganda parliamentary diplomacy.
The meeting is part of Oboth’s broader efforts to reset the systems, structures and operations of Parliament, whose institutional framework was historically modelled on that of the House of Commons.
The House of Commons is the democratically elected house of the UK Parliament, responsible for making laws and checking the work of government.
Oboth said stronger relations could create opportunities for members and staff to share experiences through exchanges, attachments and benchmarking programmes.
“This is about consolidating our efforts to reset, revive and rejuvenate the management and affairs of the Parliament of Uganda,” Oboth said.
He further proposed an inter-parliamentary network to support cooperation between Uganda and the UK in areas of education, trade and mining.
“Such parliamentary relations should be strengthened to a level that brings the two parliaments and the two nations closer in jointly pursuing shared interests,” Oboth said.
The meeting is expected to pave way for further engagements, including cooperation in governance, education, trade and parliamentary administration.
Sir Hoyle congratulated Oboth on his elevation to the third office in the land and described his approach to parliamentary leadership as visionary.
He said the UK Parliament was willing to support efforts to strengthen inter-parliamentary diplomacy between the two countries.
He also framed the engagement within a wider Commonwealth context, saying such diplomacy should serve as a vehicle to preserve and strengthen the Commonwealth family.
He expressed hope that the process could eventually help bring African nations together as a unified bloc within the Commonwealth, pursuing a shared agenda.
Since assuming office as Speaker of the 12th Parliament on March 25, 2026, Oboth has championed a programme aimed at restoring Parliament’s legacy.
In his maiden speech, Oboth promised to rebuild public trust and clean up the institution’s image following years of corruption allegations and public criticism directed at previous leadership, vowing to steer the House on a path of accountability, transparency and people-centred leadership.