DONE AND DUSTED: Lumu’s Bill On Election Of Leader of Opposition Collapses On Second Attempt

First initiated in Gulu City at Kaunda grounds during that only regional parliamentary seating in August 2024 and then briefly supported by those in the echelons of power but later abandoned along the way, Mityana South MP Richard Lumu has had his private member’s bill which sought to vote the Leader of Opposition collapse today on the floor of parliament.

The idea of the Lumu bill came to life after Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi mobilized his fellow opposition legislators not to appear at the Regional parliamentary sitting from 28-30th August 2024 insisting it’s a wastage of tax payer’s money since the same legislators in the Acholi region appear in parliament everyday and given a platform to air out their regional grievances.

On the first attempt in 2024 Lumu’s bill as it was named faced backlash and resistance from all opposition parties and even the NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong opposed it saying changing the current state of affairs of opposition in parliament was ridiculous. It was rushed in the committees of parliament and several opposition parties failed to appear to give their input and the said bill was later abandoned mid-way.

The bill was also seen as an attempt to overthrow Joel Ssenyonyi and hand opposition power to the ruling government but this attempt failed when those in opposition also suggested that let the bill also include voting of the some key government positions in parliament like the Prime Minister (leader of government business in parliament).

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Lumu’s bill resurfaced again last week but himself says he was not aware of the format in which it was coming. His original draft sought that opposition members of parliament hold a vote on the Leader of Opposition instead of the current set up which gives full authority to the political party with majority MPs in the house to appoint the Leader of Opposition.

Since the return of Multi-party politics in 2005, the Forum for Democratic Change had been the majority opposition party in parliament and had Prof Ogenga Latigo, Nathan Nandala Mafabi, Wafula Oguttu, Winnie Kiiza and Betty Aol Ochan as Leaders of Opposition from 2006 before NUP ended this dominance in 2021.

NUP appointed outgoing Nyendo-Mukungwe MP Mathias Mpuuga in 2021 before firing him in December 2023 and replaced him with flamboyant Nakawa West MP Joel Ssenyonyi after Mpuuga was accused of corruption.

Going by the results of the 2026 parliamentary elections, NUP still has the majority of opposition in parliament and all have showed signs they’ll attend the 12th parliament even when their position is that they oppose the declaration of Museveni by Electoral Commission in the January Elections.

On today’s order paper, Lumu’s bill resurfaced again with new provisions seeking to give chance to all members of parliament to vote the Leader of Opposition and Opposition Whip instead of those from the opposition side alone.

VIDEO CREDIT: NBS TV

This left Lumu upset seeing his original idea being hijacked and he had no other option than withdrawing it but all opposition parties had blatantly rejected it and wasn’t informed about it’s return. Lumu expressed worry on who was returning his private member’s bill with new provisions.

House has withdrawn the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which, among others, sought to provide for the election of the Leader of the Opposition by members of the opposition in Parliament.