The National Unity Platform- NUP has appointed Nyendo – Mukungwe area member of parliament Mathias Mpuuga as the Leader of the Opposition in the 11th parliament.
With majority seats in the 11th Parliament, NUP is taking over leadership of the Opposition in the House from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) that has held the position for close to five-year terms.
The new leader of Opposition will replace FDC’sBetty Aol Ocan who has been holding this position from 2018 following a shocking reshuffle.
In a party meeting sitting today, the Manjiya county MP John Baptist Nambeshe was elected the Opposition Chiefwhip in parliament replacing devastated Kira municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda of FDC, who lost the parliamentaryspeaker race on Monday May 24.
Article 81 0f the Constitution as amended creates the position to oversee the affairs of the Opposition in Parliament.
According to the Administration of Parliament amendment Act 2006, the Leader of the Opposition principal role is to keep the government in check.
The LoP also appoints the Shadow Cabinet, is a member of the business committee, and participates in the determining and scheduling of Parliament business and sits on the Parliamentary Commission.
The LoP also gives the official response to the President’s State of the Nation Address.
The NUP party is also in consultation to form a shadow cabinet and fill the other positions and the leadership of the four accountability committees that is to say; the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Committee on Commissions Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), Local Government Accounts Committee (LGAC), and Committee on Government Assurances.
David Lewis Rubongoya, the part Secretary General said in a recent interview in media that the party is considering to appoint shadow cabinet shortly after the ruling government has announced their cabinet.
“The Shadow Cabinet will be selected after this other side (Executive) announce their cabinet and we are consulting with our comrades because we are looking at these positions as mission oriented to aid the struggle,” Mr Rubongoya said.
Updates: Latest on the Parrots UG desk indicates that President Museveni has lined up 100 persons to be vetted for ministerial positions in a new cabinet. The nominees who include former Prime minister Patrick Amama Mbabazi, NRM Secretary General Justine Kasule Lumumba are now waiting for parliament to vet them.
