PARLIAMENT'S NEW VISION! Speaker Oboth Calls for Data-Driven Lawmaking

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Jacob Marksons Oboth, has urged stakeholders in the Legislation, Oversight, and Representation (LOR) Programme to collaboratively plan, fund, and measure their efforts. He emphasized that this collective approach is essential for ensuring that Parliament’s actions lead to tangible changes in the lives of Ugandans.

The Speaker made this call Thursday during the official opening of the LOR Programme Annual Review Workshop, organized by Parliament’s Corporate Planning and Strategy Department. The workshop was attended by the Clerk to Parliament, Hon. Adolf Mwesige; the Opposition Chief Whip, Hon. John Baptist Nambeshe; Commissioners of Parliament; Members of Parliament; officials from the National Planning Authority; as well as directors and staff of the Parliamentary Service.

This marks the first annual review workshop of the 12th Parliament, assessing the programme’s performance during the initial year of implementing the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) and the Government’s Tenfold Growth Strategy, under the second LOR Programme Implementation Action Plan.

“The LOR Programme exists to serve the people of Uganda. When we enact effective laws, scrutinize public resource usage, and advocate for our constituents, we transform government promises into real changes in people’s lives,” the Speaker stated.

He challenged participants to reflect honestly on the programme’s performance, asking whether laws at both national and local government levels are enacted in a timely manner, if oversight leads to the expected changes for citizens, whether citizens’ concerns are acknowledged during appropriations, and how the programme contributes to the Tenfold Growth Strategy.

Speaker Oboth outlined three priorities. First, under the Government’s program-based planning and budgeting system, the LOR Programme must be planned, budgeted, implemented, and reported as a cohesive unit. Second, the programme must be embraced by all partners and stakeholders, who should engage actively in setting priorities, implementing the action plan, and accounting for results. Third, its operations must be driven by evidence, utilizing sound data, clear indicators, and timely reporting.

He also called for enhanced coordination with the Office of the Prime Minister, the National Planning Authority, and other programme actors, to ensure that the programme’s recommendations ultimately improve services for citizens.

The Speaker urged participants to engage actively in the workshop and to depart with concrete commitments for the upcoming financial year. He expressed gratitude to the Parliamentary Commission, the Clerk to Parliament, programme partners, Parliamentary Service staff, and the LOR Programme Secretariat for organizing the review.

In a lighter moment, he commended Members of Parliament and staff for their punctuality, noting that the workshop started on time. The workshop will continue with an orientation presentation by the Director of Corporate Planning and Strategy.