Is There Really Opposition In Uganda Parliament? Ugandans Blast LoP Ssenyonyi For Dodging Parliamentary Session Where Shs 72 Trillion Budget Was Passed , Goes To Ghana For A Trip

Thursday evening’s passing of a Shs 72 trillion national budget for the FY 2024/25 has raised eyebrows over conspicuous absence of the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi.

The youthful MP opted to undertake a trip to Ghana at a time when Parliament was scheduled to take a vote on the government’s proposals for new taxes as well as the new financial year’s budget estimates.

Owing to the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), 2015, which require that the budget is passed before May 31, MPs don’t usually undertake activities that keep them away from Parliament during the budget making process.

Opposition MPs went into Thursday’s plenary sitting of Parliament without a common position given that the shadow cabinet had not met to internalise the issues contained in the minority report on the budget authored by MPs, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda (FDC, Kira Municipality), Michael Lulume Bayiga (DP, Buikwe South) and Karim Masaba (Independent, Mbale Industrial Division).

Consequently, the few shadow cabinet ministers who attended the sitting were reduced to mere spectators and to clap as Ssemujju took on the government side.

“You fail to understand why the LOP opted to travel now. Will he have the moral authority to speak against the unfair taxes and the government’s high expenditure when he chose to keep away?” Wondered an MP who preferred not to be named.

To Ghana, Ssenyonyi travelled with the opposition chief whip, John Baptist Nambeshe who would have held fort. The Nakawa West MP delegated Ndorwa East MP, Wilfred Niwagaba (independent) as stand-in LOP.

Niwagaba didn’t put in any resistance as Parliament debated the Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which introduced new taxes on petrol and diesel, mineral water and building materials among others.He later disappeared and missed much of the debate on the national budget.

The trip to Ghana earned Ssenyonyi Shs 23.1 million in per diem for seven days in addition to another Shs 3,800,000 for a cab.