Parliament to remain operational despite ban on gatherings

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Parliament of Uganda will remain operational amidst the temporary ban on public gatherings by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni due to the coronavirus (COVID -19).

President Museveni on Wednesday among other things announced a ban on all political and cultural activities as a means to curb the spread of the coronavirus that has so far claimed over 8000 people and affected over 200,000 people around the world.

Now the Parliament commission chaired by the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has come up with tough measures to regulate numbers in plenary and in the premises of Parliament.

According to a source that URN spoke to who attended the meeting, it was decided that the number of people accessing Parliament will be limited, some meetings in the precincts of Parliament will also be limited and MPs will not be allowed to bring in their voters.

The source also said that Parliament will enhance hand washing measures and enforce general hygiene among others.

According to Cyrus Aogon, the Kumi Municipality MP, Parliament cannot be shutdown because of the budget cycle, but also because of the numerous works that are ongoing. He says Parliament will just take strong measures.

The order paper today has 24 items lined up for debate that include; statement on the status of establishment of area licensing boards under the Enguli Act, a Statement on scholarship opportunities under the ministry of education and sports, statement on the delayed compensation of Ugandan traders who made losses in south Sudan and the economic impact of COVID-19 on Uganda by the finance Ministry.

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