A fresh political battle over the office of the Leader of the Opposition (LOP) is brewing after two Members of Parliament notified Parliament of their intention to introduce a Private Member’s Bill seeking to amend the Administration of Parliament Act.
Kibanda North MP Linos Ngompek and Buyaga West MP Denis Namara, both affiliated with the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), served notice to the Speaker of Parliament, saying they were seeking leave to table a Bill to Amend the Administration of Parliament Act.
The intention is to have the Leader of the Opposition elected by Parliament.
The law currently provides that the Leader of the Opposition is selected by the opposition party with the highest number of seats in Parliament.
Speaking to journalists shortly after filing the notice, Namara argued that the current system concentrates excessive authority in one political party and undermines accountability within the multiparty political system.
His remarks revive a long-running debate over whether the Leader of the Opposition should remain the nominee of the largest opposition political party or instead be elected by all opposition legislators.
Under the current legal framework, Parliament itself currently has no statutory power to remove or elect the Leader of the Opposition.
The latest initiative comes days after Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba announced on his X account that he had instructed PLU to “study how to remove” Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi.
