Anita and Oulanyah
Deputy Speaker Anita Annet Among (L) and Speaker Jacob Oulanyah/ Courtesy photo
Following the indisposition of Speaker Jacob Oulanyah, there are concerns of what will become of Parliament if he doesn’t return soon. On February 3, Oulanyah was flown to Seattle in the United States of America for specialized treatment leaving Anita Among, his Deputy entirely in charge of the business in the August House.
Speaking to our reporter, Prof Morris Ogenga Latigo, the former Leader of Opposition observes that if Oulanyah is certainly going to recover and does not resign, Parliament will ‘limp’ with only the Deputy Speaker presiding and in leadership.
“If he is unable to recover fully and highly disabled, he can resign, the Speaker enjoys a full pension not tied to how he/she leaves office,” said the former Agago North County MP.
“In the 10th Parliament, there was a proposal to amend the Constitution and allow for any Member of Parliament to be assigned and preside over the House in the absence of both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. I don’t think the proposal was enacted into law,” Prof Ogenga said.
“To the best of my knowledge in the absence of both, currently, the House will come to a standstill,” Prof Ogenga observed further.
Joel Ssenyonyi, the Nakawa West Member of Parliament says Article 82 of the Constitution creates the office of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of Parliament both of whom are to be elected from among the elected Members of Parliament but renders members of the cabinet or the Executive ineligible to be elected.
Ssenyonyi points out that the core responsibility of the Speaker of Parliament is to chair business in the house meaning that at any point the position is vacant, no business shall go ahead in Parliament until the position has been filled.
However, Ssenyonyi also observed that Oulanyah’s indisposition has not created any vacuum in the House as yet because his authorities are equally taken care of by the Deputy Speaker as enshrined in the constitution.
While updating MPs about Oulanyah’s absence, the Deputy Speaker assured the House there was no vacuum created as she will steer the plenary sittings until the Speaker resumes office after sick leave.
On 21 November 2019, Parliament failed to conduct plenary sitting following the absence of then-Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga, and her then-deputy Oulanyah. Oulanyah was in Rwanda’s capital Kigali to attend The African, Caribbean, and Pacific-European Union conference while Kadaga was attending a State House function with President Yoweri Museveni.
The incident attracted criticism from Ibrahim Semujju Nganda, then Opposition Chief Whip and Kira Municipality MP who proposed for the creation of a panel of speakers so that the house wards off such unprecedented occurrences brought about by the absence of speakers.
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The deputy speaker of parliament should be incharge.