Parliament-Watch-Bulletin_Mid-Term-Audit-2014

A Mid Term Citizens’ Assessment of the 9th Parliament1.4 Mandate of ParliamentThe Parliament of the Republic of Uganda is made up of a single House, the National Assembly, with a Speakerelected from the members of Parliament. This is the main legislative body in which elected and appointed Membersfrom all over the country meet to draft, debate and pass laws/legislation through which the institutions of governmentendeavor to guide the country’s progress and ensure good governance. Parliament derives its roles/functions fromChapter Six of the Constitution of Uganda.The three main parliamentary functions are; oversight of government business, legislation and representation. Theseare derived from the provisions of the Constitution of Uganda which provides in Article 79 that Parliament shall havepower to make laws on any matter for the peace, order, development and good governance of Uganda. In additionParliament undertakes the following functions:• Provides, by giving legislative sanction to taxation and acquisition of loans, the means of carrying out thework of government; and• Scrutinizes government policy and administration; and approves presidential nominations for ministers,judges, ambassadors and other positions specified in the Constitution.While the role and mandate of the parliament are clearly articulated in chapter six of the constitution, it is importantthat these duties are diligently conducted in order to satisfy the nation’s expectations. Therefore, timely reviews andassessments are needed in order to establish whether parliament is on track with its functions and its duties to thecitizens. This report gives an assessment of what parliament has actually managed to accomplish and the tasks it hasundertaken in order to meet citizens’ expectations as enshrined in the Citizens Manifesto and is keen to identify gapsthat need to be addressed. Snapshots of the findings are presented in the matrix that follows in the next section:10UGMP September 2014