{UAH} STATE- OF- KADAGA- AS- THE- SPEAKER- OF- PARLIAMENT ADDRESS
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In 2011, soon after Ms. Rebecca Kadaga was elected to succeed Edward
Kiwanuka Ssekandi as Speaker of Parliament, I wrote an article
juxtaposing her against the man she was replacing and projected it to
the future. She had been Deputy Speaker for eight years.
A major character trait that emerged from the comparison was that
Kadaga was possesses a tinge of steel, both on the floor of the house
and away. Her commanding and stern approach stood out, unlike Ssekandi
whose softness attracted fault-finding remarks. Never seeming
resolute, his attitude earned him accusations of being a puppet of
state pillars.
Both scored good marks as legal gurus, the former having been the
first woman to open private chambers in the country while Ssekandi had
a track record to speak for him. Being a woman, Kadaga's rise was
almost automatic as the affirmative action card made it essential that
she takes over, if only to grant the regime gender sensitivity
accolades. Everybody agreed that a stern figure was needed to arm
Parliament with the muscle it needed to launch a revolution against
maladministration and corruption.
Mr. Frank Nabwiso, former MP Kagoma County and FDC senior ideologue at
the time told me: "Kadaga will bring new life. Parliament under
Ssekandi was like a lamentation chamber."
Defeating Mr. Nandala Mafabi (FDC) was a walk-over for the lady from
Kamuli. For sometime during her term of service, Kadaga's selling
trait flourished. With her guidance, the House "roasted" corruption
suspects like never before, strong statements of admonition against
lousiness in government sounded loud and many a person believe that
the 9th Parliament generally spells a resurrection of the legislature.
Thinking critically, however, it would be naïve to attribute the
success or failure of an institution to the omissions or commissions
of one person. For Parliament in particular, its performance has been
the total sum of the participation of all legislators, the technical
staff and co-operation of the public and other state organs.
Parliament cannot succeed in isolation. Kadaga cannot excel or flicker
alone.
Parliament has barked really hard and naturally, reaction from
offended parties hasn't been less severe. She has found herself on
opposites with her party seniors on several fronts exemplified by her
stance during the probe into corruption in the oil sector, the death
of former Butaleba MP Nebanda and the case of four vocally offside MPs
expelled by NRM chiefs, yet they favoured her by ring-fencing her
candidature and victory.
The Speaker has surpassed her own record by standing straight up to
the forces which Ssekandi was accused of bowing to. For making
"unpalatable" pronouncements, Kadaga finds herself facing the biggest
challenge to her career. She has many fans but her current conduct
indicates that she can only stand the challenge intermittently. The
speaker has conspicuously gone missing in action at most of the highly
contentious sittings of the House, which has been interpreted as an
admission that some subjects are too hot for her to handle. She missed
the third reading of the memorable oil Bills late last year, the
motion to dispatch Nebanda's body for burial and most recently the
passing of the Public Order Management Bill.
Officially, it is understood that the Speaker on each of the said
occasions has other urgent business to conclude but whispers in public
domain claim she avoids presiding over sessions that would make her
resemble Ssekandi. Aware that the majority is sure to win but leave
the minority unconvinced, she reportedly excuses herself to preserve
her unique image.
While this is good for her as an individual, it's not proof of nerve.
In the article earlier alluded too, mention was made of the fact that
a Speaker must have guts to stabilize any situation in the House till
a conclusion is reached. Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah, who didn't
attract as much acclaim as his boss, normally carries through the
contentious Bills without too much affectation.
The flagship duty of a Speaker is to preside over sessions of the
House. Perhaps, Rt. Hon. Kadaga has found this a tough occupation.
Steering tense situations is the best training one may receive for
higher calling. At this mid-point, Kadaga still has to prove she
wasn't propped up to fulfill agenda she didn't believe in, hence
finding herself trapped and lost.
As I was about to dispatch this article on August 14, senior Kampala
lawyer, Yunus Kasirivu of Kasirivu and Co. Advocates informed me that
he and a group of other lawyers are in the process of petitioning the
constitutional (to rule) on the contention that Kadaga has abdicated
her duties on various occasions and therefore, entreat her to quit.
Robert Atuhairwe
--
"TRY TO GROW UP!"
Kiwanuka Ssekandi as Speaker of Parliament, I wrote an article
juxtaposing her against the man she was replacing and projected it to
the future. She had been Deputy Speaker for eight years.
A major character trait that emerged from the comparison was that
Kadaga was possesses a tinge of steel, both on the floor of the house
and away. Her commanding and stern approach stood out, unlike Ssekandi
whose softness attracted fault-finding remarks. Never seeming
resolute, his attitude earned him accusations of being a puppet of
state pillars.
Both scored good marks as legal gurus, the former having been the
first woman to open private chambers in the country while Ssekandi had
a track record to speak for him. Being a woman, Kadaga's rise was
almost automatic as the affirmative action card made it essential that
she takes over, if only to grant the regime gender sensitivity
accolades. Everybody agreed that a stern figure was needed to arm
Parliament with the muscle it needed to launch a revolution against
maladministration and corruption.
Mr. Frank Nabwiso, former MP Kagoma County and FDC senior ideologue at
the time told me: "Kadaga will bring new life. Parliament under
Ssekandi was like a lamentation chamber."
Defeating Mr. Nandala Mafabi (FDC) was a walk-over for the lady from
Kamuli. For sometime during her term of service, Kadaga's selling
trait flourished. With her guidance, the House "roasted" corruption
suspects like never before, strong statements of admonition against
lousiness in government sounded loud and many a person believe that
the 9th Parliament generally spells a resurrection of the legislature.
Thinking critically, however, it would be naïve to attribute the
success or failure of an institution to the omissions or commissions
of one person. For Parliament in particular, its performance has been
the total sum of the participation of all legislators, the technical
staff and co-operation of the public and other state organs.
Parliament cannot succeed in isolation. Kadaga cannot excel or flicker
alone.
Parliament has barked really hard and naturally, reaction from
offended parties hasn't been less severe. She has found herself on
opposites with her party seniors on several fronts exemplified by her
stance during the probe into corruption in the oil sector, the death
of former Butaleba MP Nebanda and the case of four vocally offside MPs
expelled by NRM chiefs, yet they favoured her by ring-fencing her
candidature and victory.
The Speaker has surpassed her own record by standing straight up to
the forces which Ssekandi was accused of bowing to. For making
"unpalatable" pronouncements, Kadaga finds herself facing the biggest
challenge to her career. She has many fans but her current conduct
indicates that she can only stand the challenge intermittently. The
speaker has conspicuously gone missing in action at most of the highly
contentious sittings of the House, which has been interpreted as an
admission that some subjects are too hot for her to handle. She missed
the third reading of the memorable oil Bills late last year, the
motion to dispatch Nebanda's body for burial and most recently the
passing of the Public Order Management Bill.
Officially, it is understood that the Speaker on each of the said
occasions has other urgent business to conclude but whispers in public
domain claim she avoids presiding over sessions that would make her
resemble Ssekandi. Aware that the majority is sure to win but leave
the minority unconvinced, she reportedly excuses herself to preserve
her unique image.
While this is good for her as an individual, it's not proof of nerve.
In the article earlier alluded too, mention was made of the fact that
a Speaker must have guts to stabilize any situation in the House till
a conclusion is reached. Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah, who didn't
attract as much acclaim as his boss, normally carries through the
contentious Bills without too much affectation.
The flagship duty of a Speaker is to preside over sessions of the
House. Perhaps, Rt. Hon. Kadaga has found this a tough occupation.
Steering tense situations is the best training one may receive for
higher calling. At this mid-point, Kadaga still has to prove she
wasn't propped up to fulfill agenda she didn't believe in, hence
finding herself trapped and lost.
As I was about to dispatch this article on August 14, senior Kampala
lawyer, Yunus Kasirivu of Kasirivu and Co. Advocates informed me that
he and a group of other lawyers are in the process of petitioning the
constitutional (to rule) on the contention that Kadaga has abdicated
her duties on various occasions and therefore, entreat her to quit.
Robert Atuhairwe
--
"TRY TO GROW UP!"
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