The decision by the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, has left a sharp split among opposition Members of Parliament.
A credible source in Parliament has confirmed that a large number of MPs from the opposition parties, including the National Unity Platform, NUP, Forum for Democratic Change, Uganda People’s Congress, and Democratic Party, among others, have defied Ssenyonyi’s decision.
The MPs questioned why LOP Ssenyonyi did not block the budget for the regional sittings during the appropriation in parliament and instead waited to interfere with the implementations.
MPs including Dr. Abed Bwanika (Kimaanya-Kabonero) of NUP and Naboth Namanya (Rubabo County) of FDC confirmed their full attendance at the first regional sitting in Gulu.
Abed said the NUP should have used this opportunity to seek support from the Northern Region since it never supported the Party during the 2021 general elections instead of opposing the activity.
“If the opposition was clever, we would have been the first to camp in Northern Uganda, so we can gather the region and support us, but if you start this kind of politics, I am not going to because it is Speaker Among in charge, that means you have never understood politics.
The Northern region didn’t support us; the National Unity Platform doesn’t even have any MPs from that region, Bwanika stated.
Bwanika also disputed Ssenyonyi’s claims that he wasn’t aware of this activity, saying the money for the regional sittings was approved by MPs, and went on to question Ssenyonyi’s understanding of the budget process in Uganda.
On August 22, 2024, the speaker of Parliament announced the regional sitting of Parliament, with the first being Hulu on August 28–30, followed by other regions.