By Peter Luzinda
NATIONAL
Uganda’s opposition in the 12th Parliament has proposed a wide range of legal and governance reforms covering public assemblies, criminal justice, presidential administration, public spending, refugee management and disaster preparedness.
The proposals are contained in a five-year legislative agenda for the financial years 2026/27 to 2030/31, prepared by the Office of the Leader of the Opposition.
Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi said Parliament should exercise stronger oversight over the Executive instead of merely approving government proposals.
“Parliament was never designed as a passage point for Government proposals. It exists to interrogate policy before it becomes law, to scrutinise expenditure before it is authorised, and to demand accountability after public resources have been spent,” Mr Ssenyonyi said.
He described an effective opposition as one of the key safeguards against the abuse of public power.
Changes to public assembly laws
The opposition wants Parliament to harmonise provisions governing public assemblies that are currently contained in the Penal Code Act, Police Act and Public Order Management Act.
It proposes a single legal framework for public gatherings, with clearer definitions of what constitutes an unlawful assembly.
The proposals also seek to remove provisions that could allow arrests based largely on an individual police officer’s perception rather than the actual conduct of participants.
The opposition further wants the law to clearly define an “authorised person” and require authorities to formally acknowledge notices submitted for public meetings.
According to the opposition, the changes would bring public order laws closer to Article 29 of the Constitution, which protects freedom of assembly, demonstration and petition.
Criminal justice overhaul
On criminal justice, the opposition proposes abolishing committal proceedings for capital offences, describing the practice as a colonial-era relic.
Under the proposal, suspects facing capital charges would be committed directly to the High Court.
The opposition also wants magistrates’ courts to have criminal jurisdiction over all offences except treason and terrorism.
It proposes that the High Court operate continuously instead of relying on periodic sessions, arguing that the growing number of High Court judges provides an opportunity to expand access to justice and reduce case backlogs.
Other proposals include introducing digital justice provisions, formally regulating pre-trial disclosure and plea bargaining, and creating clearer career progression for magistrates.
The plan also seeks to change how cases involving mentally incapacitated accused persons are handled. The opposition wants decisions currently made by the Minister to be transferred to the courts.
Under the proposed system, courts would be required to obtain expert mental health assessments, impose limits on detention and use terminology consistent with the Mental Health Act.
The opposition cited cases of prolonged detention involving mentally incapacitated accused persons, including one case in which a person was detained for 14 years.
Presidential and public spending reforms
The opposition is also proposing a Presidential Transition Bill to establish a formal framework for the transfer of power between administrations.
The framework would provide government-funded office space, staff and administrative support to facilitate an orderly transition.
Another proposed amendment would limit the number of presidential advisers and organise them under specific thematic offices.
The opposition further wants tighter controls over supplementary budgets for State House, including penalties for spending beyond approved allocations.
It also proposes legislation to regulate presidential donations by establishing an annual spending cap and transparent criteria for beneficiaries, with the expenditure subject to auditing.
Refugees and disaster management
Beyond justice and presidential accountability, the five-year agenda proposes integrating refugee-related services into district local government budgets and development plans.
The opposition also wants Parliament to enact a Disaster Risk Management Bill.
The proposed legislation would criminalise the diversion of relief funds, establish early-warning systems and require disaster preparedness to be incorporated into local government planning.
The opposition says the broader package is aimed at strengthening constitutionalism, improving public participation, reducing case backlogs and prolonged pre-trial detention, and promoting greater accountability in the use of public funds.
The proposals will now have to go through the parliamentary legislative process, including debate, scrutiny and consideration by the relevant committees before any of them can become law.
