Summary:
Speaking shortly after taking the oath, Nalukoola requested Speaker Anita Among to grant him extended time on the Order Paper to address the challenges facing Kawempe North.
KAMPALA: The National Unity Platform (NUP)’s Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola has been sworn in as the Member of Parliament for Kawempe North following the contentious by-election held on March 13, in which he triumphed over nine other contenders.
Speaking shortly after taking the oath, Nalukoola requested Speaker Anita Among to grant him extended time on the Order Paper to address the challenges facing Kawempe North.
He emphasized the need to utilize the time that had gone unspent due to the ill health of his predecessor, Muhammad Ssegirinya, which left the constituency without substantive representation in the 11th Parliament.
“I request that when the sitting resumes, I be given an opportunity to inform Parliament and the nation about the state of affairs in Kawempe North, which has lacked proper representation for a long time. I also ask that I be granted additional minutes beyond the standard two allocated to MPs, to compensate for the time not utilized by our beloved Muhammad Ssegirinya. The people of Kawempe North will be truly grateful, especially as we currently suffer from issues such as flooding and other challenges,” Nalukoola stated.
In response, Speaker Among agreed to grant him more speaking time, acknowledging that the constituency had been deprived of effective representation. “When the House resumes, we will give you space. The truth is, the people of Kawempe North have not had representation for some time due to Ssegirinya’s illness. Welcome to the 11th Parliament,” she said.
Addressing concerns about Nalukoola’s swearing-in taking place in the Speaker’s Chambers rather than the parliamentary chambers, Speaker Among clarified that this was not unprecedented. She explained that MPs joining Parliament through by-elections can take the oath either during a parliamentary session or in the Speaker’s Chambers if the House is in recess.
“We did not want to deprive the people of Kawempe North of representation simply because the House is on recess. Given that we adjourned the House to allow committees to handle ministerial policy statements, we deemed it appropriate to swear you in so that you can fully participate in parliamentary proceedings,” Speaker Among noted.
Additionally, she directed the Clerk to Parliament, Adolf Mwesige, to ensure that Nalukoola receives all the benefits entitled to an MP. “I instruct that after this, the MP should receive all his benefits, including a car, even if his term will be short,” she affirmed.
