Uganda’s Parliament has been urged to anchor its legislative work more firmly in public consultation and strict procedural compliance, with senior leaders cautioning that laws shaped in isolation or passed without due process risk both rejection and legal challenge.
Speaking during an induction engagement with legislators, former MP and minister, James Kakooza reflected on the long-term value of citizen participation in lawmaking, citing a previous Private Member’s Bill that, after extensive consultations with local governments and citizens, was transformed into a Budget law.
He noted that the legislation went on to endure for nearly 15 years and was later studied by other African countries seeking to replicate Uganda’s approach.
Kakooza emphasized that Parliament alone cannot produce effective laws, arguing that durability in policy is achieved when lawmakers actively draw on the lived experiences of communities. According to him, the strength of the law he referenced lay in its grounding in public input, which helped MPs shape provisions that reflected “what is best for them” as understood by the people themselves.
In his address, he further stressed that consultation should not be treated as a courtesy extended to voters, but as a core democratic obligation, particularly in matters of national importance.
He pointed to past constitutional debates as a reminder that meaningful participation is essential when decisions are being made in the name of citizens. For Kakooza, representation in Parliament must go beyond speaking for constituents to consistently listening to them before key policy choices are finalized.
At the same time, Parliament’s legal and compliance leadership issued a stark reminder about the institutional risks tied to procedural lapses.
Solomon Wilson Kirunda, Director for Legal and Compliance Services, cautioned that adherence to rules and regulations is no longer a routine administrative requirement but a central element of governance and risk management.
He warned that when parliamentary procedures are ignored or mishandled, courts are increasingly willing to intervene, exposing the institution to financial loss, legal setbacks, and reputational damage.
He stressed that a strong compliance culture must start from the top, with leadership setting the tone for adherence to rules across all levels of Parliament.
According to him, when senior parliamentary figures respect procedure, it reinforces discipline within committees and administrative structures.
However, when rules are treated as flexible or optional, he warned, the institution risks sliding into inconsistent and discretionary decision-making with far-reaching consequences for governance.
The messages from both speakers converged on a central theme: that effective lawmaking depends not only on political authority, but on disciplined process and sustained engagement with the public whose lives the laws ultimately govern.
