Parliament on Thursday resumed its sittings with the Speaker Anita Among presiding, as the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi raised a series of matters of national importance, demanding government accountability on election technology, compensation of traders affected by floods, and pending payments to victims of past disasters. While addressing the House, Ssenyonyi […]
Parliament on Thursday resumed its sittings with the Speaker Anita Among presiding, as the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi raised a series of matters of national importance, demanding government accountability on election technology, compensation of traders affected by floods, and pending payments to victims of past disasters.
While addressing the House, Ssenyonyi questioned the failure to deploy biometric voter verification kits (BVVKs) during the recently concluded elections despite Parliament having appropriated large sums of money for the technology.
He reminded the House that Parliament approved hundreds of billions of shillings to facilitate the electoral process, including funds meant to procure the machines, train electoral officials on how to use them, and design ballot papers compatible with the biometric verification system.
Ssenyonyi warned that if the matter remains unexplained, Parliament risks being perceived as complicit in the misuse of public funds.
“This House appropriated plenty of money, billions upon billions of shillings, to be used in the election. We appropriated nearly Shs400 billion. Part of that money was meant to train those who would operate these machines, and the ballot papers were also designed to be compatible with the scanning system,” he said.
He added that the biometric machines had been presented to the public as a key safeguard against election malpractice.
“We were told these machines would be the answer to vote rigging and all the drama that comes with our elections, which affects both sides. In fact, during the elections I saw some colleagues on the NRM side also complaining about vote rigging,” Ssenyonyi told the House.
The Opposition leader reminded Parliament that the Deputy Speaker had earlier directed the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Norbert Mao to present a detailed statement explaining the status and usage of the machines.
He urged that the directive be followed up to ensure accountability.
“It would be a good reminder for that statement to come to this House since the House already directed as such,” he said.
Ssenyonyi also raised concerns over government delays in compensating traders affected by the devastating floods that struck Kampala on October 31 last year, destroying goods worth billions of shillings.
According to him, government publicly committed to compensate affected businesspeople to the tune of Shs20 billion, but many traders say they have never received the promised payments.
“These business persons up to date ask whether government lied to them. Recently we saw another situation of heavy flooding, and the same people say they have lost more merchandise even before the first promise of compensation has been fulfilled,” Ssenyonyi said.
He urged government to clarify whether it intends to honor the pledge or if the commitment was merely political reassurance.
“Government needs to clearly tell these traders whether they intend to compensate them or not, instead of making promises that may not be fulfilled,” he added.
Ssenyonyi further called for a comprehensive national plan to address flooding, pointing to poor drainage systems and unregulated urban development as major contributors to the recurring disasters.
“When is government going to present a comprehensive plan to address the flooding situation in our country? Poor planning and poor drainage continue to worsen the problem, especially with the numerous buildings coming up,” he said.
The Opposition leader warned that continuous compensation without addressing the root causes of flooding would only lead to repeated financial losses.
He also raised the issue of victims of the 2024 garbage slide disaster in Kiteezi, where more than 35 people died, saying many affected families still claim they have not received compensation promised by government.
“When the Kiteezi situation happened in August 2024 and over 35 people died, government promised to compensate the victims. Up to today the victims still say they have not received that compensation. What happened? Was it another lie?” he asked.
In response to the concerns about the biometric voter verification machines, Justice Minister Norbert Mao informed the House that a statement addressing the issue had already been prepared.
Speaker Anita Among directed that the minister table the statement before Parliament next week.
Similarly, the Speaker instructed Kampala Minister Minsa Kabanda to present a detailed statement to the House on Tuesday next week, explaining the status of compensation for traders affected by floods and outlining government’s response to the recurring disasters in the city.
