Leader of Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi Unveils 30-Member Shadow Cabinet

KAMPALA, Uganda — The leader of the opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, has unveiled a 30-member Shadow Cabinet for the 12th Parliament, defending the leaner team as more effective in holding the government accountable than mirroring the executive’s 82-member Cabinet.

Ssenyonyi told Parliament the appointments were made in line with Rule 15(2) of the Rules of Procedure, which requires the opposition leader to form a Shadow Cabinet from opposition members of Parliament.

The new team includes Harriet Nakwede (Kayunga District woman MP) as deputy chief opposition whip and shadow minister for the presidency; Gonzaga Ssewungu (Kalungu West) for defense and veteran affairs; Gyaviira Sebina Lubowa (Nyendo-Mukungwe) for finance, planning and economic development; Dr. Timothy Batuwa (Jinja South) for health; and Luyimbazi Zinna Nalukola Elias (Kawempe North) as shadow attorney general.

Ssenyonyi said the opposition deliberately merged several portfolios into broader dockets instead of assigning a shadow minister to each government ministry.

“The provision of the law is for us to have workable dockets that will hold the government accountable. That is why we have got 30 shadow ministers. We would have had 82, but we said we are going to shrink all those into 30 workable dockets, and that is allowable within the law,” Ssenyonyi told Parliament.

Ssenyonyi told Parliament. He argued that the Opposition’s approach demonstrates that government itself could operate effectively with fewer ministers.

“We believe 30 ministers are able to run the government effectively. So, we have shrunk all the 80-plus ministries into 30, and we are going to effectively hold the government accountable,” he said.

However, the announcement sparked debate over whether the new structure complies with parliamentary rules requiring shadow ministers to correspond with Cabinet portfolios.

Speaker Jacob Oulanyah Oboth-Oboth sought clarification after concerns were raised about whether every shadow minister had a direct government counterpart.

Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi cited Rule 15(2), arguing that shadow ministers should correspond to existing Cabinet positions.

He specifically questioned the appointment of Obongi County MP Kaps Fungaroo as Shadow Minister for Human Rights, noting that there is no standalone Human Rights minister in government.

“If there is no cabinet minister for Human Rights, who is he shadowing? I think the Leader of the Opposition should harmonize so that you respect the rules. The one handling human rights is the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs,” Baryomunsi argued.

Ssenyonyi defended the appointment, saying the Opposition had intentionally elevated human rights oversight because of concerns about violations by state institutions.

“In essence, we are putting two shadow ministers on that docket because human rights are very critical to us,” he said.

He cited reports from the Uganda Human Rights Commission, which he said consistently identify government agencies among the leading perpetrators of human rights abuses.

“According to reports of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, the biggest perpetrator of human rights abuses is the government and government institutions. We are saying we want to hold government accountable in that regard,” Ssenyonyi said.

He added that the human rights portfolio would largely focus on oversight of the security sector, where the Opposition believes many violations occur.

“The docket of security is where most of the human rights abuses get committed. So Honourable Kaps Fungaroo is our shadow minister for security,” he explained.

The new Shadow Cabinet is expected to provide alternative policy positions and strengthen oversight of government business during the 12th Parliament.

According to the Opposition, the streamlined structure is intended to demonstrate that effective governance and accountability can be achieved through a smaller and more efficient executive arrangement.

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