A VISIT TO THE HOME OF LEGISLATURE

The home of legislature is a very beautiful home that every Ugandan should
endeavor to visit in their lifetime. This home is so beautiful and appealing to the
eyes... Oh! How I wish everyone would visit this home.
With a wooden screen at the entrance of the chamber, one watches the flora and
fauna of Uganda just on woods. Not only will you use your eyes to watch this but
also your mouth opens saying wooooow.
More astonishing is the warm welcome given to visitors to this home. The
department of communication and public affairs welcomes you with a smell and
takes you around this beautiful home of legislature.
On entering the chambers, one is amazed by the interior of this home; there is a
green carpet and seats which are so beautiful.
The head of this home, who is a speaker, or the deputy speaker sit on a black chair
located beneath a gold colored canopy. No other person other than the head of this
home can sit on this black seat. Surprisingly even when the president visits this
home, he cannot sit on this special black chair but sits on another seat on the righthand side of the black seat.
The chambers has got two sides separated by the division lobbies. The members
from the ruling party (NRM) sit on the right-hand side of the speaker and the
opposition party members sit on the left-hand side of the speaker. No member is
allowed to switch sides whatsoever during the session.
Currently, the 10th parliament has 430 members of parliament who all have to sit in
the designed arrangement.
This home of legislature is so welcoming to the point that even non-members of
parliament are welcome to the August house when parliament is in a session. These
are given a special place called the strangers gallery.
The house of legislature being a home of justice and God fearing, religious leaders
are given a special place in the strangers gallery. The distinguished people (VIPs)
who include; delegates from other states, journalists, and the general public, and
these are given a special place in the gallery.
Since matters discussed are so crucial and supposed to be handled with care, only
journalists are allowed to take notes in the strangers gallery.
Just like all homes have got challenges, the legislature has also got a number of
challenges; the fact that there are 430 members of parliament, the space is not
enough to accommodate all the members.
The attendance of members of this house is another challenge; some attend only
when they are expected. However, any member that misses more than three times
without a strong reason is summoned by the speaker.

Fortunately, thanks go to our government which has already proposed a new

parliamentary house which we hope to solve some of the problems in the current
parliamentary house.

Council MURANGIIRA
URBAN B.
KAMPALA
INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY,
LAW SCHOOL

Researcher