The Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga is under pressure to delay the enactment of the NSSF Bill, the Worker’s MP Dr. Sam Lyomoki has claimed. He disclosed this at a press briefing at parliament where he spent a night in the chambers to protest the delayed enactment of the NSSF amendment bill 2019.
The bill is at the center of a controversy between the Finance and Gender Ministries on who should supervise the fund. The bill also stirred a tug of war between the workers’ representatives and government over midterm access to funds. Lyomoki, who has pledged to pitch camp in the parliamentary chambers until the bill is passed, says the speaker is handling the ministers responsible for the bill with kid gloves.
Kadaga was forced to abruptly adjourn plenary on Wednesday when Lyomoki declined to leave the floor while protesting a ruling by the speaker to postpone the second reading of the bill for a further two weeks. The speaker’s decision was prompted by the absence of both the Gender and Finance ministers even though the bill had been placed on the order paper for the second reading.
Plenary sittings have now been adjourned indefinitely, according to a communication issued by the clerk to parliament on Wednesday evening. Lyomoki says the speaker should come out strongly and reprimand the ministers for not taking their mandate and offices seriously. He asserts he doesn’t regret his actions because the speaker is under pressure from Cabinet not to take a tough stance.
He claims that those opposed to the bill have orchestrated a plan to delay its enactment until after elections when Parliament will be too fatigued to handle business and thus postpone the bill indefinitely.