MPs have questioned the government over delays in completing the unfinished residence of the late former Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah, despite earlier commitments to fulfil the pledge.
The matter was raised during a plenary sitting chaired by Jacob Oboth Oboth, who had just returned from India, where he had participated in diplomatic engagements involving the BRICS grouping.
Julius Acon Bua, the MP for Otuke East, asked the government to explain the progress made towards completing the residence, which was among the commitments made following Oulanyah’s death.
“I stand up to remind the government about how far it has gone in completing Oulanyah’s house,” Bua said.
In response, the Minister of State for Public Service, Lydia Wanyoto, promised to present a comprehensive plan to cabinet outlining how the government intends to implement its outstanding pledges.
Wanyoto asked MPs to give the government more time, assuring them that the matter would be addressed soon.
However, Speaker Oboth reminded the minister that the government had already committed itself to completing the residence and should therefore provide a clear account of the progress made.
Oboth expressed dissatisfaction with the repeated assurances, saying the government needed to move beyond presenting papers to Cabinet and demonstrate its commitment through action.
He challenged Wanyoto to be open with Parliament if the government had failed to fulfil the pledge, saying MPs could consider mobilising resources to complete the house themselves.
“If this matter has failed, let the minister tell us. We can mobilise ourselves and fundraise to complete the house,” Oboth said.
Solomon Silwany, the MP for Bukooli County Central, also criticised the government’s response, saying Parliament had heard similar assurances several times without seeing meaningful progress.
Kalungu West MP Gonzaga Sewungu questioned why the minister had not told Parliament that the money for completing the residence had not been provided for in the national budget.
Sewungu said the government should be more transparent about the obstacles preventing the fulfilment of its commitment instead of repeatedly promising to present plans.
Eliab Naturinda, the MP for Ndorwa East, suggested that Parliament should consider handling the matter internally through the Speaker’s office.
He argued that MPs had a responsibility to protect the trust Ugandans had placed in them and should take the lead in ensuring that commitments made to their colleagues were honoured.
The debate took place in the presence of law students from Makerere University and Bugema University, who were following parliamentary proceedings from the public gallery.
Oulanyah, who represented Omoro County in Parliament, died on March 20, 2022, while receiving treatment in the United States. He was 56.
Following his death, the government pledged to support the completion of his unfinished residence at his ancestral home in Ayomlony village, Lalogi Sub-county, Omoro District.
