Ssenyonyi urges Parliament to turn reform promises into action

Uganda’s Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, has welcomed what he described as improvements in the conduct of parliamentary business but said reforms would matter only if government institutions followed words with concrete action.
Ssenyonyi said opposition lawmakers now had more space to operate, journalists had regained access to Parliament and proceedings were taking place in a less tense environment.
He said, however, that unresolved concerns over accountability, alleged unlawful detention and the failure of some government officials to appear before Parliament continued to test the effectiveness of the legislature’s oversight role.
“The fact that journalists who were chased away from here can now access back, that’s a good thing,” Ssenyonyi told journalists at his office. “But I’m not excited by a letter… I want to see action.”
Ssenyonyi said his office had repeatedly sought information about people allegedly taken into custody or held outside recognised legal procedures. Among the cases he cited was that of Eria Jengo, a journalist with Baba TV who he said went missing on Sept. 10, and activist Sandra Alione Opoloje, whom he said was reportedly picked up over the weekend.
He also referred to former Butambala County MP Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi and others whose cases have previously been raised by opposition leaders.
The circumstances surrounding the cases and the whereabouts of the individuals were not independently established in the information provided by Ssenyonyi. Baba TV separately reported that Jengo was last seen leaving its Ntinda offices on Sept. 10 and appealed for information, without identifying who might have been responsible.
Ssenyonyi said the Ministry of Internal Affairs had recently responded to concerns raised in Parliament by seeking clarification about some of the names submitted by his office. He welcomed the response but said correspondence alone was insufficient, calling for detainees to be released where there was no lawful basis for their detention or brought before courts in accordance with established procedures.
He also challenged what he described as an expansive interpretation of presidential immunity, arguing that constitutional protection for a sitting president should not mean that presidential actions are exempt from legal scrutiny.
“Whatever the head of state does has got to be in line with the law,” he said.
Ssenyonyi further criticised ministers and accounting officers who fail to attend parliamentary proceedings or committee hearings to answer questions concerning their institutions. He said public officials had a constitutional responsibility to account to Parliament.
His comments followed a warning by Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth on Aug. 19 that accounting officers must honour committee summons. The warning came after a parliamentary committee encountered difficulties pursuing an inquiry involving the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority because its director general and accounting officer did not attend.
Ssenyonyi also questioned continued spending on rented offices for lawmakers and parliamentary staff while construction of new parliamentary chambers remains incomplete. He urged Parliament’s leadership to ensure the contractor meets the latest deadline set by the Speaker.
He did not provide figures for rental expenditure, the current construction cost or the latest completion deadline.
Ssenyonyi’s assessment points to a mixed picture of parliamentary reform, with greater openness alongside continuing disputes over accountability and implementation.
For him, the measure of progress is ultimately whether institutions act on concerns raised in Parliament rather than simply responding with letters.