Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has asked Ibrahim Ssemujju (Kira Municipality) to discuss the continued snub of plenary sittings by First Deputy Prime Minister, Rebecca Kadaga who is also Minister in Charge of East African Affairs.
“To my brother, I think I will just invite you for a cup of tea,” said Nabbanja.
The Premier’s decision to extend an olive branch to Ssemujju followed a question he asked why Nabbanja has failed to rein over her juniors like Kadaga who has snubbed plenary sittings to the extent of failing to fulfill today’s deadline to present the ministerial policy statements for the Ministry of East African Affairs.
“It would be a very big failure of the Prime Minister not to supervise her deputies. And now that she is here, can she lay or tell us why that particular Minister never attends Parliament,” said Ssemujju.
After losing in the highly contested Speaker-ship to arch-rival Jacob Oulanyah, Kadaga hasn’t showed up for any plenary sitting, putting her in the same league as Minister of Education Janet Museveni and former Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa who were rare in plenary and Committee sittings.
However, Enosi Asiimwe (Kabula County) defended Kadaga’s continued absentia, castigating Ssemujju for asking questions at the wrong time.
“The rules are very clear, the order paper is telling us to lay papers and there is no provision to ask questions. I believe the MP is wrong to ask questions when we are laying papers,” remarked Asiimwe.
It is at that point that Premier Nabbanja defended the failure by Ministry of East African Affairs, Office of Auditor General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Trade as well as Ministry Tourism on the technical teams failing to present the documents to the Ministers for tabling before Parliament.
Nabbanja said, “Laying our policy statements here is a constitutional requirement and I have talked to the Minister, he is waiting for his technical people to bring. They are all aware that today is the deadline and I believe that they are coming. I tried to whip because having all these members here isn’t easy.”
According to the Public Finance Management Act 2015, Ministries have up to 15th March to present before Parliament the ministerial policy statements, while the Opposition is meant to present their alternative policy statements by 29th March.
