Parliament of Uganda

Unicameral legislature of Uganda

Parliament of Uganda
Bunge la Uganda

Eleventh Parliament
Type
Type|

Unicameral

History
Founded| 1962
Preceded by| Legislative Council

New session started

| 24 May 2021
Leadership

Speaker

Anita Among, NRM
since 25 March 2022

Deputy Speaker

Thomas Tayebwa, NRM
since 25 March 2022

Prime Minister

Robinah Nabbanja, NRM
since 21 June 2021

Government Chief Whip

Denis Obua, NRM
since 16 August 2022

Leader of the Opposition

Joel Ssenyonyi, NUP
since 9 January 2024

Chief Opposition Whip

John Nambeshe, NUP
since 24 May 2021

Structure
Seats| 529

Political groups

| Government (336)

* NRM (336)

Opposition (109)

* NUP (57)
* FDC (32)
* DP (9)
* UPC (9)
* JEEMA (1)
* PPP (1)

Others (84)

* Independents (74)
* Military (10)

Length of term

| 5 years
Elections

Voting system

| Parallel voting:
First-past-the-post voting (499 seats)[a]
Indirect election (30 seats)[b]

First election

| 25 April 1962

Last election

| 14 January 2021

Next election

| 12 January 2026
Meeting place
Parliament Avenue, Kampala
Website
www.parliament.go.ug
Constitution
Constitution of Uganda

Politics of Uganda

Constitution

* Human rights

Government

* President (List)

Yoweri Museveni
* Vice President

Jessica Alupo
* Prime Minister

Robinah Nabbanja
* Cabinet

Parliament

* Speaker

Anita Among
* Constituencies

Judiciary

* Supreme Court
* Court of Appeal/Constitutional Court
* High Court
* Magistrate Courts
* Industrial Court

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*     * Counties
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* Electoral Commission
* Political parties

Foreign relations

* Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Minister: Jeje Odongo

* * *

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* * *

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Uganda portal

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The Presiding Officer of the Senedd greets delegates from the Ugandan Parliament; 2012

The Parliament of Uganda is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Uganda. One of its primary functions is to pass laws that support effective governance in the country. Government ministers are required to answer to the people's representatives on the floor of the house and may be appointed from amongst its members.

Through the various parliamentary committees, parliament scrutinises government programmes, particularly as outlined in the State of the Nation address[1] by the president. Fiscal matters, such as taxation and loans, require parliamentary approval after appropriate debate.[2]Parliament also holds the authority to confirm certain presidential nominations and, through a motion of censure, may compel a Minister to resign.

## Composition

[edit]

See also: List of constituencies in Uganda

The 11th Parliament (2021–2026) has a total of 557 seats, including 353 representatives elected using first-past-the-post voting in single winner constituencies. Using the same method, 146 seats reserved for women are filled, with one seat per district. Finally, 30 seats are indirectly filled via special electoral colleges: 10 by the army, 5 by youths, 5 by elders, 5 by unions, 5 by people with disabilities and 28 Ex Officio Members. In each of these groups, at least one woman must be elected (at least two for the army group).[3][4][5][6]

In 2016, it was composed of 288 constituency representatives, 121 district woman representatives, ten Uganda People's Defence Force representatives, five representatives of the youth, five representatives of persons with disabilities, five representatives of workers, and seventeen ex officio members.[7]

## History

[edit]

The Ugandan parliament was established in 1962, soon after the country's independence.[8]

### First Parliament (1962–1963)

[edit]

The tower that separates the east from the north wing buildings at the Uganda Parliament. this tower together with the parliament was built by the British colonial government in the late 1950s as a gift to Uganda just before it attained its independence.

This body was then known as the National Assembly. It had 92 members and was presided over, as speaker, by Sir John Bowes Griffin, a British lawyer and former Ugandan Chief Justice.

### Second Parliament (1963–1971)

[edit]

During this period, Prime Minister Milton Obote abrogated the constitution and declared himself President of Uganda in 1966. This parliament also witnessed the abolition of Uganda's traditional kingdoms and the declaration of Uganda as a republic. This decision was impacted by the legal council of Member of Parliament A. G. Mehta following the Ugandan Constitutional Conference in which Uganda became an independent nation.[9][10] The speaker during the Second Parliament was Narendra M. Patel, a Ugandan of Indian descent. This parliament ended when Idi Amin overthrew Milton Obote's government in January 1971.

### Third Parliament (1979–1980)

[edit]

Following the overthrow of Idi Amin in April 1979, a new legislative body known as the Uganda Legislative Council was established. With an initial membership of 30, the membership was later increased to 120. This was the Third Parliament and was chaired by Edward Rugumayo. This legislative body continued to function until the general elections of December 1980.

### Fourth Parliament (1980–1985)

[edit]

This period marked the return to power of Milton Obote and the Uganda People's Congress (UPC), following the disputed national elections of 1980. The speaker of the Fourth Parliament was Francis Butagira, a Harvard-trained lawyer. the Fourth Parliament ended when General Basilio Olara Okello overthrew Obote and the UPC government in 1985.

### Fifth Parliament (1986–1996)

[edit]

Known as the National Resistance Council (NRC), the Fifth Parliament was established following the end of the Ugandan Bush War (1980–1986). Starting with 38 historical members of the National Resistance Movement and National Resistance Army, the legislative body was gradually expanded to include representatives from around the country. The speaker during the Fifth Parliament was Yoweri Museveni, who also concurrently served as the President of Uganda.

### Sixth Parliament (1996–2001)

[edit]

The Sixth Parliament was constituted during one-party rule (NRM). James Wapakhabulo served as speaker from 1996 until 1998. From 1998 until 2001, Francis Ayume, a member of Parliament from Koboko District, served as speaker.

### Seventh Parliament (2001–2006)

[edit]

The Seventh Parliament was presided over as Speaker by Edward Ssekandi. The most controversial legislation passed during this period was the amendment of the constitution to remove presidential term limits.

### Eighth Parliament (2006–2011)

[edit]

See also: Ugandan general election, 2006 and List of members of the eighth Parliament of Uganda

This was a continuation of the Seventh Parliament, with Edward Ssekandi as speaker and Rebecca Kadaga as deputy speaker.

Party| Constituency| Women| Seats
Votes| %| Seats| Votes| %| Seats| Appointed| Total
| National Resistance Movement| | 141| | 58| 14| 213
| Forum for Democratic Change| | 27| | 10| 0| 37
| Uganda People's Congress| | 9| | 0| 0| 9
| Democratic Party| | 8| | 0| 0| 8
| Conservative Party| | 1| | 0| 0| 1
| Justice Forum| | 1| | 0| 0| 1
| Independents| | 28| | 11| 1| 40
Uganda People's Defence Force| | | 10| 10
Total| | 215| | 79| 25| 319
Registered voters/turnout| 10,450,788| 68| | 10,450,788| –| |
Source: IPU

### Ninth Parliament (2011–2016)

[edit]

See also: Ugandan general election, 2011 and List of members of the ninth Parliament of Uganda

The Ninth Parliament was presided over by Rebecca Kadaga as speaker, and Jacob Oulanyah as deputy speaker.

Party| Constituency| Women| Seats
Votes| %| Seats| Votes| %| Seats| Appointed| Total| +/–
| National Resistance Movement| 3,883,209| 49.22| 164| 3,803,608| 51.56| 86| 13| 263| +50
| Forum for Democratic Change| 1,070,109| 13.56| 23| 1,242,218| 16.84| 11| 0| 34| –3
| Democratic Party| 476,415| 6.04| 11| 325,660| 4.41| 1| 0| 12| +4
| Uganda People's Congress| 265,568| 3.37| 7| 237,477| 3.22| 3| 0| 10| +1
| Justice Forum| 50,120| 0.64| 1| 10,796| 0.15| 0| 0| 1| 0
| Conservative Party| 48,276| 0.61| 1| 1,084| 0.01| 0| 0| 1| 0
| Uganda Federal Alliance| 23,585| 0.30| 0| 34,346| 0.47| 0| 0| 0| New
| People's Progressive Party| 15,692| 0.20| 0| 26,320| 0.36| 0| 0| 0| New
| Forum for Integrity in Leadership| 8,871| 0.11| 0| | 0| 0| New
| Social Democratic Party| 5,664| 0.07| 0| | 0| 0| New
| Popular People's Democracy| 3,399| 0.04| 0| | 0| 0| New
| People's Development Party| 2,526| 0.03| 0| 1,853| 0.03| 0| 0| 0| New
| Liberal Democratic Transparency| 2,035| 0.03| 0| 3,997| 0.05| 0| 0| 0| New
| Green Partisan Party| 297| 0.00| 0| | 0| 0| New
| Uganda Economic Party| 207| 0.00| 0| | 0| 0| New
| Independents| 2,034,250| 25.78| 30| 1,689,389| 22.90| 11| 2| 43| +3
Uganda People's Defence Force| | | 10| 10| 0
Vacant| | 1| | –| 1| –
Total| 7,890,223| 100.00| 238| 7,376,748| 100.00| 112| 25| 375| +56
Source: Election Passport, UC

### Tenth Parliament (2016–2021)

[edit]

See also: Ugandan general election, 2016 and List of members of the tenth Parliament of Uganda

In the Tenth Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga and Jacob Oulanyah remained in their posts as speaker and deputy speaker respectively.

Party| Constituency| Women| Seats
Votes| %| Seats| Votes| %| Seats| Appointed| Total| +/–
| National Resistance Movement| 3,945,000| 48.88| 199| 3,566,617| 48.95| 84| 10| 293| +30
| Forum for Democratic Change| 1,027,648| 12.73| 29| 929,860| 12.76| 7| 0| 36| +2
| Democratic Party| 349,962| 4.34| 13| 246,284| 3.38| 2| 0| 15| +3
| Uganda People's Congress| 172,781| 2.14| 4| 236,164| 3.24| 2| 0| 6| –4
| Justice Forum| 20,089| 0.25| 0| 16,741| 0.23| 0| 0| 0| –1
| Ugandan Federal Alliance| 18,146| 0.22| 0| | 0| 0| New
| Conservative Party| 10,792| 0.13| 0| 2,902| 0.04| 0| 0| 0| –1
| Social Democratic Party| 5,972| 0.07| 0| | 0| 0| New
| Republican Women and Youth Party| 2,311| 0.03| 0| 8,502| 0.12| 0| 0| 0| New
| People's Progressive Party| 2,185| 0.03| 0| 16,720| 0.23| 0| 0| 0| New
| Uganda Patriotic Movement| 470| 0.01| 0| | 0| 0| New
| Activist Party| 175| 0.00| 0| | 0| 0| New
| Independents| 2,515,163| 31.16| 44| 2,261,897| 31.05| 17| 5| 66| +23
Uganda People's Defence Force| | | 10| 10| 0
Total| 8,070,694| 100.00| 289| 7,285,687| 100.00| 112| 25| 426| +51
Registered voters/turnout| 15,277,198| –| | 15,277,198| –| |
Source: EC, Election Passport

#### 2017 Parliament fight

[edit]

On September 27, 2017, a fight ensued during a legislative session of the Ugandan parliament. The legislation in discussion at the time was to remove the presidential age limit of 75 from the Ugandan constitution. Following accusations from the parliamentary speaker against certain lawmakers in the chamber of disorderly conduct, a full-fledged fight broke out in which chairs were thrown, microphone stands used as clubs, and eventual removal of some members by plain clothes security officers.[11]

### Eleventh Parliament (2021–present)

[edit]

See also: Ugandan general election, 2021 and List of members of the eleventh Parliament of Uganda

On March 25, 2022, Thomas Tayebwa was voted as the new Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda.[12]

Party| Constituency| Women| Seats
Votes| %| Seats| Votes| %| Seats| Appointed| Total| +/–
| National Resistance Movement| 4,158,934| 41.60| 218| 4,532,814| 44.81| 101| 17| 336| +43
| National Unity Platform| 1,347,929| 13.48| 43| 1,607,425| 15.89| 14| 0| 57| New
| Forum for Democratic Change| 729,247| 7.29| 24| 674,154| 6.66| 8| 0| 32| –4
| Democratic Party| 245,248| 2.45| 8| 181,364| 1.79| 1| 0| 9| –6
| Uganda People's Congress| 180,313| 1.80| 7| 229,884| 2.27| 2| 0| 9| +3
| Alliance for National Transformation| 72,018| 0.72| 0| 82,318| 0.81| 0| 0| 0| New
| Justice Forum| 24,843| 0.25| 1| 22,625| 0.22| 0| 0| 1| +1
| People's Progressive Party| 10,076| 0.10| 1| | 0| 1| +1
| Uganda Economic Party| 6,199| 0.06| 0| | 0| 0| New
| Ecological Party of Uganda| 4,287| 0.04| 0| | 0| 0| New
| Conservative Party| 1,071| 0.01| 0| | 0| 0| 0
| Social Democratic Party| 719| 0.01| 0| | 0| 0| 0
| Forum for Integrity in Leadership| 122| 0.00| 0| | 0| 0| New
| Congress Service Volunteers Organisation| 68| 0.00| 0| | 0| 0| New
| Independents| 3,217,480| 32.18| 51| 2,785,676| 27.54| 20| 3| 74| +8
Uganda People's Defence Force| | | 10| 10| 0
Total| 9,998,554| 100.00| 353| 10,116,260| 100.00| 146| 30| 529| +103
Source: Electoral Commission

## Ugandan legislation

[edit]

This section may contain material unrelated to the topic of the article. Please help improve this section or discuss this issue on the talk page. (July 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Examples of Uganda's legislation include:

* The amendment of the constitution to remove presidential term limits.[clarification needed]
* The Employment Act, 2006, Act 6 of 2006 [13]
* The Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2014
* The Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023

The Uganda Legal Information Institute (ULII) publishes the laws of Uganda, allowing for free online access.[14]

## See also

[edit]

* List of legislatures by country
* List of speakers of the Parliament of Uganda
* Apollo Ofwono
* Politics of Uganda

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Of the 499 seats, 353 are elected by constituency, while 146 seats reserved for women are elected by district.
2. ^ Out of the 30 seats, 10 are reserved for the Uganda People's Defence Force, while 5 seats each are allocated to the youth, the elderly, workers, and citizens with disabilities.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Is the State of the Nation address relevant?". VINAS Businesses. 2021-06-04. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
2. ^ "Functions of The Parliament of Uganda". The Parliament of Uganda. Archived from the original on 2012-04-19.
3. ^ "Composition of Parliament". parliament.go.ug. 2018-01-18. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
4. ^ "Constitution" (PDF).
5. ^ "Electoral handbook" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
6. ^ "IFES Election Guide | Elections: Uganda National Assembly 2021". www.electionguide.org.
7. ^ "Composition of Uganda's Parliament". The Parliament of Uganda. Archived from the original on 2018-04-21. Retrieved 2014-12-13.
8. ^ "Chronology of the Parliaments of Uganda". Archived from the original on 2017-10-29. Retrieved 2012-07-02.
9. ^ "Uganda Constitutional Conference, 1961". New Vision. October 2016.
10. ^ Great Britain, ed. (1961). Uganda: report of the Uganda Constitutional Conference, 1961 and text of the agreed draft of a new Buganda agreement initialled in London on 9th October, 1961. Cmnd. London: H.M.S.O.
11. ^ AP Archive (2 October 2017). "Fighting in parliament as Uganda ejects MPs". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
12. ^ "I'll use Deputy Speaker's office to serve Ugandans' interests - Tayebwa". Monitor. 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
13. ^ Uganda Legal Information Institute, Employment Act, 2006, accessed 10 June 2024
14. ^ Uganda Legal Information Institute, Welcome to the Uganda Legal Information Institute, accessed 10 June 2024

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[edit]

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