By Frank Kamuntu
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon Anita Among, has appointed Mr Waiswa Henry Yoweri to discharge the functions of the Clerk to Parliament as the appointment of Hon Adolf Mwesige is formalized. Mr Waiswa is the Deputy Clerk, Corporate Affairs.
Last week, President Yoweri Museveni appointed former Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Mwesige as Clerk to Parliament, replacing Mrs Jane L. Kibirige, who has been retired.
Mwesige is part of a new cohort of permanent secretaries, Museveni deployed to various ministries and government departments last week.
He is required to first take the official oath and oath of secrecy as specified in the Oaths Act before taking over from Kibirige.
“We would like to appreciate Madam Jane Kibirige for her services to Parliament; thank you very much; I have asked Mr Waiswa Yoweri to take over as we wait for Hon Adolf Mwesige [to take over the office],” she said.
Article 87 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda establishes the Office of the Clerk to Parliament. It states: “There shall be a public officer designated Clerk to Parliament appointed by the President in consultation with the Public Service Commission and such other members of staff as may be necessary for the efficient discharge of the functions of Parliament.”
Section 10 of the Administration of Parliament Act defines the general scope of the Clerk to Parliament’s work, and that the Clerk “shall be the head of the parliamentary service and shall be responsible to the Speaker for the general working and efficient conduct of the business of the service.”
Mrs Kibirige, the first female Clerk to Parliament, assumed office on the 08 February 2012, taking over from Mr Aenas Tandekwire, who had served in the office for 26 years.
Mwesige, 55, is a lawyer by profession, and has served as Member of Parliament representing Bunyangabu County in Kabarole district from 1996 to 2021.
He served as Minister for General Duties in the Office of the President, before being moved to the Ministry of Local Government, a position he held until 2016 when he was appointed Minister of Defense.
According to the Second Schedule of the Oaths Act, the President or a person designated by the President, administers the oaths to public servants in the category of the Clerk to Parliament.
