Abstract
Even though Uganda claims to embrace democracy as a system of governance, its democratic credentials lag behind much of Sub-Saharan Africa. Parliament’s ineffectiveness contributes to the persistent increase in the incidence of corruption in the country. The problem is not a lack of oversight tools, but rather a lack of political will, coupled with limited co-ordination between parliament and other watchdogs, especially civil society groups and the media. Parliament needs to develop strategies to better accommodate and manage political party interests vis-à-vis the national interest. MPs sometimes shy away from taking a stand they believe to be in the interest of citizens for fear of being labelled a ‘rebel MP’. As an institution, it is important that Parliament provide an environment in which all opinions can be proffered without any risk to members.
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Notes
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Elections in Uganda are organized every 5 years since the third republic.
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The Vice President, Prime Minister and Ministers who, if not already elected Members of Parliament, shall be ex-officio Members of Parliament, but without the right to vote on any issue requiring a vote in Parliament (Article 78).
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Interview with an Analyst at the Uganda Parliamentary Budget Office.
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The API is an assessment of seven African Parliaments (Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, Tanzania and Zambia) conducted by the Parliamentary Centre in 2011 and 2012. The parliaments self-assessed themselves along a number of indicators. CSOs in the various countries also assessed the parliaments.
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Article 227 of the 2005 Constitution.
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Stapenhurst et al. (2006). The Role of Parliaments in Curbing Corruption. WBI Development Studies. Washington, DC: World Bank.
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https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2016/uganda, accessed 28/08/2017.
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Ibid.
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Issues like corruption cases in the Office of the Prime Minister, the sale of Uganda Broadcasting Corporation lands to MPs, the Presidential Handshake etc.
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The Parliament has a total of 426 MPs.
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The NRM holds a two-thirds majority.
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The Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), through a decision of the House in January 2017 was tasked to investigate how 42 selected government officials were rewarded with Shs6b for winning two oil-related cases against British Oil exploration firms also known as the “presidential handshake”. The President was also cross-examined as part of the investigations. The Committee in its June 2017 report on the matter recommended among other things, that all funds paid to beneficiaries of the handshake should be refunded and Officers who flouted the law should be held accountable. The IGG was charged to institute investigations to establish culpability and possible offenses.
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Stapenhurst et al. (2006). The Role of Parliaments in Curbing Corruption. WBI Development Studies. Washington, DC: World Bank.
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Titriku, A. (2020). The Ugandan Parliament: Greater Interaction Between MPs and Civil Society Is Needed. In: Stapenhurst, R., Draman, R., Larson, B., Staddon, A. (eds) Anti-Corruption Evidence. Studies in Public Choice, vol 34. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14140-0_5
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