L-R: Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oboth ObothParliament recently set up the Business Committee alongside 29 other committees to help with the consideration of its business – in line with article 90 of the Constitution and rule 163 of the House Rules of Procedure. The Business Committee, chaired by the Speaker of Parliament, arranges business of each meeting and the order in which that business shall be taken, and to do so, had its first meeting on Thursday, July 9, 2026. This was the second committee of the 12th Parliament to sit, following the Appointments Committee that met to vet and approve Presidential nominees in June. This comes after the big two events on the Parliament calendar: the presentation of the State of the Nation Address and National Budget by the President – which, this time, followed the swearing in of members and election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament. Ministers were earlier nominated and approved by the House Committee on Appointments (which was established earlier for this purpose). The Leader of the Opposition was also named to lead legislators on the left of the Speaker. With the committees and their leadership in place, Parliament structures are fully established and is in position to fully carry out or roll out its constitutional mandate. Rule 163 of the Parliament Rules of Procedure says: In accordance with Article 90 of the Constitution, the House shall appoint Committees necessary for the efficient discharge of its functions. The committees – standing committees assess and evaluate activities of government and other bodies, and discuss and make recommendations on bills laid before Parliament; and sessional committees that are in line with government departments can now commence operations. Membership of these committees was made by party whips, while the Speaker designated independent members, and the UPDF’s David Robert Gonyi – all of whom were approved by the plenary sitting. Standing committees last two and half years, while sectoral committees last one year or session. For this Parliament, a new Standing Committee on Subsidiary Legislation was established, and will be chaired by Jennifer Mujungu. This committee is charged with examining statutory instruments that require the approval of Parliament. Following Section 2(4) of the Administration of Parliament Act and rule 11 of the Rules of Procedure, the House also approved the four backbench commissioners: Ababiku Jesca, Nakut Faith Loru, Abeja Susan Jolly, and Nambeshe John Baptist – fully constituting the Parliamentary Commission – the top most administrative body of Parliament. It alsoconstitutes the Speaker, Deputy Speaker; Leader of Government Business, minister of Finance and Leader of the Opposition. The commission is also charged with staff recruitment, discipline and members welfare. During the sitting of May 28, 026 the Speaker promised that “we shall have a functional Parliamentary Commission”, a commitment coming after the Leader of the Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, had cried out on how he was treated during the last Parliament. He also promised to have committees that work. During the July 7, 2026 sitting, Parliament approved the designation of five members to the Pan African Parliament; and Uganda’s representatives to four other parliamentary groupings including: the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation; Inter Parliamentary Union; and the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific/ European Union. With the structures in place – the leadership, committees and their leadership, plus the promises or guarantees, the 12th Parliament is now set to roll. The writer works at Parliament of UgandaThe post The 12th Parliament lays foundation for legislative work appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.