Western NRM Concerned Youth slam LOP Senyonyi, opposition move to boycott regional parliamentary sittings

Amos Tayebwa

Mbarara

The Mbarara based Western NRM Concerned Youth have joined other voices criticizing the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Joel Senyonyi and some of his opposition colleagues for the decision to boycott the forthcoming regional parliamentary sittings.

On May 17 the Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among while presiding over the plenary announced plans to hold parliamentary sittings in four different regions of Uganda.

Gulu city is supposed to host the first sitting in northern Uganda between 29th and 30th August 2024.

About sh20 billion has been budgeted for this.

According to the speaker, the move to have regional parliamentary sittings offers an opportunity to witness first-hand the challenges bedeviling common people across the country.

However, a section of opposition legislators led by the Leader of Opposition Joel Senyonyi are planning to boycott the sittings branding it a waste of taxpayers’ money.

But Western NRM Concerned Youth are not happy with Senyonyi and Co move.

They have since hailed the Speaker and the parliament entirely for coming up with such a brilliant idea.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, August 13 in Mbarara, these youth revealed that the constitution of Uganda gives the Speaker the mandate to conduct parliament in any place he or she wants.

Therefore, they believe that regional sittings will give exposure to all members of parliament into different regions which will enable them to identify the key challenges and the progress of development there.

Herbert Nangumya, the leader of the Western NRM Concerned Youth says that the Members of Parliament especially the Opposition MPs who are against the move are wrong and they don’t wish development in the areas they represent.

“The money which the parliament is going to use was allocated to parliament by the same MPs who are opposing it. Even if the parliament does not move to those regions for parliamentary sittings still that money is going to stay in that parliament, it will not work on the hospitals, it will not work on the roads because the money was allocated to parliament,” he said.

“I believe that Members of Parliament who are against this are just playing politics of relevance and sympathy from the citizens. It was very wrong for the Leader of Opposition to condemn these sittings when we actually know that top management of parliament are the ones who came up with this decision of which the Leader of Opposition is a member. Aren’t they contradicting themselves? This shows how Joel Senyonyi is a betrayer,” Nangumya wondered.

Nangumya also appealed to locals to work hand in hand with their area MPs to raise regional problems so that when the sitting takes place all the issues affecting them can be well captured.

Edgar Akampa, the vice Chairman of Western NRM Concerned Youth that contains more than 200 members, told journalists that the majority of communities are going to benefit once these sittings materialise.

“If they say they are going to come in Western Uganda particularly, we expect challenges like Regional Referral Hospital Mbarara to be talked about, we expect challenges like Katete bridge also to be talked about.

“We believe this is an opportunity for us to air out our local views. We have issues of poor electricity infrastructure, poor road network in different areas mainly in our region, so let’s embrace this move by parliament and precisely we are going to benefit from them,” Akampa said.

Akampa adds that those opposing the regional parliamentary sittings are not looking at the bigger picture.