By Spy Uganda
Kampala: President Yoweri Museveni has assented to the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2021 which was passed by Parliament on 5 October 2021.
This is a maiden Bill-now an Act, to be processed and passed by the House since its inauguration in May 2021. The Private Members’ Bill was tabled by Kilak North County MP, Anthony Akol.
During the plenary sitting on Thursday, 18 November 2021, the Deputy Speaker, Anita Among, confirmed to the MPs that the President had assented to the House’s maiden Bill.
The  Act will streamline the Administration of the Institute of Parliamentary Studies and the general Administration of Parliament.
Section 2 (2) of the Administration of Parliament Act now includes the Deputy Speaker of Parliament as a Member of the Parliamentary Commission in conformity with Article 82 of the Constitution which highlights the mandate of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
The new Act also repeals the Institute of Parliamentary Studies Act, 2020 which renamed the Institute as ‘Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga Institute of Parliamentary Studies (RAKIPS)’ with an autonomous status.
The Parliamentary Commission will now compose of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, the Leader of Government Business, the Leader of the Opposition, the finance minister and four backbench Commissioners who are Members of Parliament.