By Frank Kamuntu
Kampala: Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga yesterday launched an institute to train MPs, local council leaders and other legislatures in the East African region titled after her name “Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga” Institute.
The institute will operate as an agency of the government under the supervision and control of the Parliamentary Commission. It is expected to among others, conduct training of Members of Parliament and staff in Uganda and elsewhere in the world, as well as training of local government official, to prepare them for office.
According to Kadaga, the institute was facilitated under the Parliamentary Commission as a department, it will continue to be financed under the same arrangement. The institute is also one of the government entities receiving funding from the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF) whose activities, President Yoweri Museveni recently sought to be suspended.
“We have found that one month of training is not enough because they get challenges along the way. The new MPs, who are elected through by-elections, are also not totally inducted, so we need a facility that would continue looking out for them and helping them,” she added.
Since the financial year 2018/2019, the Institute has trained a total of 40 female committee leaders, inducted 50 newly elected MPs, trained 316 MPs and committee staff, 673 parliamentary staff, trained 14,234 local council leaders, and trained 164 MPs from other parliaments including Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, Namibia and others.
Meanwhile, the institute’s board will be chaired by Dokolo Woman MP Cecilia Atim Ogwal with MPs Anna Adeke Ebaju, Gulu Municipality MP Lyandro Komakech, Isingiro South MP Alex Byarugaba Bakunda, Justine Niwagaba and Dr Stella Kyohairwe.
