Plenary is set to resume today, a week after it was adjourned Sine Die by Speaker of Parliament Anita Among demanding that the government provides a definitive position on the Local Council I and II elections since the tenure expired on July 10th.
The resumption of plenary is communicated through the Parliament’s Directorate of Communication and Public Affairs which runs the House’s official Twitter handle before the order paper was issued.
“The House #PlenaryUg resumes tomorrow [today], Thursday, 27 July 2023 at 10.00am,” the message on Parliament’s Twitter handle reads in part.
Last week, Speaker Among adjourned House, just about an hour after she had commenced proceedings. Prior to this, she had repeatedly asked the government side to prepare and table specific decisions that would inform the government’s next decision on the matter.
On Tuesday, the Attorney General Mr Kiryowa Kiwanuka appeared before the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee in which he reported cabinet’s decision on the matter, stating that it had been decided that the LC I and II polls be delayed for another six months. Mr Kiryowa also indicated that cabinet had decided to extend the tenure of the administration in the said positions since organising for the same polls would require a minimum of three months and already nearly one month is already spent.
Mr Kiryowa also said the details would be contained in Statutory Instrument No.63 of 2003, the Local Government (Amendment of the Third Schedule Instrument) that will be tabled by the Minister of Local Government.
Accoding to today’s Order Paper, the House is slated to commence at 10am and the said item about LCI elections appears as item number 4.
In an interview with KFM, the vice chairperson of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee that interfaced with Mr Kiryowa on the matter, Mr Yusuf Mutembuli revealed that they welcomed the government decision.