Parliament has granted leave to Buyaga West County MP, Hon. Dennis Namara, to introduce a Private Member’s Bill seeking to overhaul the election, accountability and removal of the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Parliament. The motion was approved during plenary on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, chaired by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, paving the way […]
Parliament has granted leave to Buyaga West County MP, Hon. Dennis Namara, to introduce a Private Member’s Bill seeking to overhaul the election, accountability and removal of the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Parliament.
The motion was approved during plenary on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, chaired by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, paving the way for the introduction of the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The proposed Bill seeks to change the current system where the Leader of the Opposition is designated by the opposition party with the highest number of MPs. Instead, Namara wants all opposition Members of Parliament to participate in electing the LoP.
Namara argued that the current arrangement limits the participation of other opposition MPs and allows one party to impose the opposition leader on others.
“Currently, the Leader of the Opposition is designated by the party with the highest numerical strength among opposition parties in Parliament and is simply imposed on members of the opposition without their will and consent,” Namara said.
The Bill also proposes that the Shadow Cabinet be approved by opposition MPs through a resolution and that the appointment of opposition representatives to parliamentary leadership positions should involve wider consultations among opposition parties, organisations and independent MPs.
Namara said the reforms are aimed at promoting democracy, accountability and inclusiveness within the opposition.
The proposed amendments further introduce new grounds for removing the Leader of the Opposition from office, including misconduct, incompetence and inability to perform official duties due to physical or mental incapacity.
If passed in its current form, the Bill would require the sitting Leader of the Opposition to leave office three months after the law takes effect, paving the way for a fresh election under the proposed framework.
Seconding the motion, Kibanda North County MP Hon. Linos Ngompek backed the changes, saying they would give more opposition legislators a voice in choosing their leader.
However, the proposal faced resistance from some opposition MPs. Kassanda North MP Hon. Patrick Nsamba Oshabe questioned the need to reintroduce a proposal that failed in the previous Parliament.
Wakiso District Woman MP Hon. Ethel Naluyima also opposed the move, arguing that the Constitution provides for the opposition party with the highest numerical strength in Parliament to appoint the Leader of the Opposition.
Responding to the debate, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa reminded legislators that Parliament was only considering whether to allow the Bill to be introduced and was not debating its contents.
“The member is saying, give me permission to go and prepare a Bill; we are not discussing a Bill,” Tayebwa said before putting the motion to a vote, which was approved by the House.
The Bill will now proceed to the next stage where its contents will be formally presented and debated by Parliament.
