Parliament of Uganda facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Parliament of Uganda Bunge la Uganda
Eleventh Parliament
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Speaker	Anita Among, National Resistance Movement Since 25 March 2022
Structure
Seats	557
Political groups	Government (336)      National Resistance Movement (336) Opposition (109)      National Unity Platform (57)      Forum for Democratic Change (32)      Democratic Party (9)      Uganda People's Congress (9)      Justice Forum (1)      People's Progressive Party (1) Others      Independents (74)      Military (10)      Ex officio members (28)
Elections
Last election	14 January 2021
Next election	2026
Meeting place
Parliament Avenue, Kampala

The Presiding Officer of the Senedd greets delegates from the Ugandan Parliament; 2012

The Parliament of Uganda is the country's main law-making body. It is unicameral, meaning it has one main group of members. The most important job of the Ugandan Parliament is to create laws. These laws help ensure good governance in the country.

Government ministers must answer to the people's representatives in Parliament. Through special committees, Parliament checks on government plans. This includes looking at what the president outlines in the State of the Nation address. Parliament also approves money matters for the government. This includes things like taxes and loans, after they have been discussed. Parliament must also approve some people the President chooses for jobs. They can even ask a minister to resign by passing a motion of censure.

How Parliament Members Are Chosen

The 11th Parliament (from 2021 to 2026) has 557 seats. Most members, 353 of them, are chosen by direct vote. This is done using a system called first-past-the-post voting. In this system, the person with the most votes in each area wins.

Special Seats for Different Groups

There are also 146 seats saved for women. Each district in Uganda elects one woman representative. In addition, 30 seats are filled by special groups. These groups include 10 members from the army. There are also 5 members for young people, 5 for elders, 5 for workers' unions, and 5 for people with disabilities. Finally, 28 members are Ex Officio Members, meaning they are part of Parliament because of another job they hold. For most of these groups, at least one woman must be chosen.

A Look at Parliament's Past

The Parliament of Uganda was first created in 1962. This was soon after Uganda became an independent country.

First Parliament (1962–1963)

This first Parliament was called the National Assembly. It had 92 members. The person in charge, called the speaker, was John Bowes Griffin. He was a British lawyer and a former Chief Justice of Uganda.

Second Parliament (1963–1971)

During this time, Prime Minister Milton Obote changed the country's rules. He declared himself President of Uganda in 1966. This Parliament also saw Uganda's traditional kingdoms ended. Uganda was then declared a republic. The speaker for this Parliament was Narendra M. Patel. This Parliament ended when Idi Amin took over the government in January 1971.

Third Parliament (1979–1980)

After Idi Amin's government was overthrown in 1979, a new law-making group started. It was called the Uganda Legislative Council. It began with 30 members, but later grew to 120. This was the Third Parliament, led by Edward Rugumayo. It worked until the general elections in December 1980.

Fourth Parliament (1980–1985)

This period saw Milton Obote and his party, the Uganda People's Congress (UPC), return to power. This happened after the national elections in 1980. The speaker of the Fourth Parliament was Francis Butagira. This Parliament ended when General Basilio Olara Okello overthrew Obote's government in 1985.

Fifth Parliament (1986–1996)

This Parliament was known as the National Resistance Council (NRC). It was formed after a period of conflict in Uganda (1981-1985). It started with 38 original members from the National Resistance Movement. Over time, more representatives from across the country joined. The speaker during this time was Yoweri Museveni. He was also the President of Uganda at the same time.

Sixth Parliament (1996–2001)

The Sixth Parliament was set up when one party, the NRM, was in charge. James Wapakhabulo was the speaker from 1996 to 1998. Then, Francis Ayume, a member from Koboko District, became speaker until 2001.

Seventh Parliament (2001–2006)

Edward Ssekandi was the speaker for the Seventh Parliament. During this time, a big change was made to the constitution. They removed the limits on how many times a president could serve.

Eighth Parliament (2006–2011)

This Parliament continued with Edward Ssekandi as speaker. Rebecca Kadaga was the deputy speaker.

Ninth Parliament (2011–2016)

Rebecca Kadaga served as the speaker for the Ninth Parliament. Jacob Oulanyah was the deputy speaker.

Tenth Parliament (2016–2021)

In the Tenth Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga and Jacob Oulanyah continued in their roles. They remained speaker and deputy speaker.

Parliamentary Debate in 2017

On September 27, 2017, a strong disagreement happened during a Parliament meeting. The members were discussing changing the constitution to remove the age limit for the president. After some lawmakers were accused of being disorderly, a heated argument took place. Some members were later removed by security officers.

Eleventh Parliament (2021–present)

On March 25, 2022, Thomas Tayebwa was chosen as the new Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda.

See also

In Spanish: Parlamento de Uganda para niños

• List of legislatures by country
• List of speakers of the Parliament of Uganda
• Apollo Ofwono
• Politics of Uganda

Images for kids

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  The tower that separates the east from the north wing buildings at the Uganda Parliament. This tower and the Parliament building were built by the British colonial government in the late 1950s as a gift to Uganda before its independence.