By Spy Uganda
Kampala: The ”consultative” meeting in which the Minister of Education and Sports dubbed the first lady Janet Museveni had invited legislators to Kololo has been postponed.
Without giving reasons for the postponement, the Ministry has announced that the new date for the meeting will be announced soon.
According to Deputy Speaker Anita Among, this is an education consultative meeting in which Janet will announce the government’s position on the reopening.
“The meeting is for you to give guidance to the ministry since you are the leaders who are on the ground,” said Among.
”Postponement: The Meeting between the Ministry of Education & Sports and Members of Parliament that was scheduled for Wednesday 24th November 2021 has been postponed. Note; A new date shall be communicated,” announced Ministry.
Previously, a couple of MPs had vowed not to attend Janet’s meeting arguing that she is a minister like others and therefore if she needs to address them, she should do so in parliament.
National Unity Platform’s Joel Ssenyonyi noted, ”The Minister of Education Mrs. Museveni should come to Parliament like all other Ministers and deliver her statement, if not she can go on TV at 8pm and talk! This business of summoning MPs to Kololo, requiring them to do Covid tests before meeting her, and the MPs are required to leave their phones at the entrance…give us a break!”
Forum for Democratic Change (FDC)’s Hon Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda also noted, “I fear that if we allow ministers to begin summoning Parliament, there is nothing that will stop the Government Chief Whip, Hon Thomas Tayebwa, from summoning Parliament to his home. The minister, under the rules, is supposed to come to Parliament and make a statement on any matter. So under which rule does this minister summon MPs to Kololo?”
He proposed that the education minister should instead come to Parliament and make a statement which members would thereafter debate.
The Leader of the Opposition, Mathias Mpuuga, expressed fear over holding a parliamentary meeting in Kololo, saying some Members may not freely express their views.
“On this side, we have demanded space to explain our concerns about education but it has been flopping. Now that the First Lady is ready to make that statement, the space where MPs are best housed to speak without contradiction is here at Parliament,” Mpuuga stated.
Among clarified that the meeting will purely be consultative and that it does not qualify as a sitting of Parliament. She further explained that the meeting could not be convened at Parliament owing to space constraints.
