The Speaker, Jacob Marksons Oboth warns that he will name and shame persons who threaten committee chairpersons as they carry out their roles.
While chairing the plenary sitting on Tuesday, 25 August 2026, the Speaker said that the chairpersons have a constitutional mandate to process parliamentary work on behalf of the House and the public.
“This is therefore, to caution those who are sending covert or overt threats to the chairpersons during the course of their work, to refrain. I am not a Speaker who will shield those attempting to evade accountability,” Oboth warned.
The Speaker emphasised that such intimidation tactics must cease immediately.
Reaffirming a commitment to transparency, the Speaker declared that he would not be a leader who seeks to shield those attempting to evade accountability signaling a robust stance against any interference in the legislature's oversight functions.
The new caution buttresses the one by the Speaker in a plenary sitting on Wednesday, 19 August 2026 where he tasked accounting officers to honour summons by committees in a bid to ensure effectiveness of parliamentary scrutiny.
The Speaker advised accounting officers that it is their constitutional obligation to account to the citizens through Parliament, where they are represented.
Relatedly, Speaker Oboth has urged committees to process all business before them and make it available for consideration by the House ahead of a three-week recess from 03 to 29 September 2026.
“I equally encourage the Leader of Government Business to ensure that all Bills planned for the first meeting are brought forward early enough to allow for their timely consideration,” Oboth added.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.
