Ugandan lawmaker Dennis Namara’s proposal to change how Parliament selects, supervises and removes the Leader of the Opposition has been published in the Uganda Gazette, moving the proposed reforms a step further in the legislative process.
The Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2026, is listed as Bill No. 15 in Volume CXIX, No. 95 of the Gazette dated October 23, 2026. Publication does not mean Parliament has debated or passed the Bill, which must still undergo the applicable legislative procedures.
Namara, the Buyaga West County MP in Kagadi District, obtained parliamentary permission to introduce the Private Member’s Bill on July 8, 2026, following a plenary debate chaired by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa.
The Bill would amend the Administration of Parliament Act, 1997, which governs the organisation and administration of Parliament, including arrangements for the office of the Leader of the Opposition.
Under the existing system, the opposition party with the largest number of MPs selects the officeholder. The law allows that party to consult other opposition parties and independent legislators, but it does not require their participation in the selection.
Namara has argued that the arrangement gives one party control over a position expected to represent the wider opposition in Parliament.
What the Bill proposes
The proposed amendments would require all opposition MPs to elect the Leader of the Opposition, rather than leaving the decision to the largest opposition party.
They would also require opposition MPs to approve the Shadow Cabinet through a parliamentary resolution. The Shadow Cabinet comprises opposition legislators assigned portfolios corresponding to those held by government ministers.
The Bill further proposes expanding consultations on appointments to parliamentary leadership positions, including chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of standing committees.
It introduces additional grounds for removing the Leader of the Opposition, including misconduct, incompetence and inability to perform official duties because of physical or mental infirmity.
Under the proposed transitional arrangements, the sitting officeholder would leave the position three months after the law comes into force, followed by a fresh election under the new framework.
The proposals would change the existing provisions governing how the Leader of the Opposition is selected and ceases to hold office. Under the current law, the officeholder can lose the position if removed by the party that selected them, resigns, leaves that party, ceases to be an MP under Article 83 of the Constitution, or the party loses its status as the largest opposition party.
Article 82A of the Constitution requires Parliament to legislate on the selection and removal of the Leader of the Opposition, as well as the officeholder’s functions, status, privileges and benefits.
The position is responsible for scrutinising government policies, coordinating opposition positions and presenting alternatives to government programmes. Its holder receives status and privileges equivalent to those of a Cabinet minister.
Political dispute over opposition leadership
The proposed changes come amid public exchanges between Opposition Leader Joel Ssenyonyi and Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces and head of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU).
Muhoozi called for Ssenyonyi’s removal in posts on X and later directed PLU-affiliated legislators to explore ways of unseating him.
The PLU subsequently endorsed the proposed amendments. Kasambya County MP David Kabanda, who heads the Office of the PLU Chairman, announced the organisation’s support on behalf of Muhoozi, arguing that the law should establish a clear mechanism for removing the opposition leader.
Namara has said he is ready to present the Bill to Parliament.
The proposal has implications for the balance of influence among opposition parties because it would allow legislators from smaller opposition parties and independent MPs to participate directly in selecting the officeholder.
Earlier attempts to change the law
The proposal follows several previous attempts to reform the selection of the Leader of the Opposition.
Former Kabale Municipality MP Andrew Aja Baryayanga pursued changes in 2018-2019, while Mityana County MP Richard Kizito Lumu introduced a similar Bill in 2024.
Lumu’s proposal sought to have opposition MPs elect both the Leader of the Opposition and the Opposition Chief Whip. It also proposed a deputy opposition leader, changes to the selection of party whips, approval of the Shadow Cabinet by opposition MPs and greater representation of independent legislators on the Parliamentary Commission.
Parliament granted Lumu permission to introduce the Bill on August 29, 2024, and he tabled it on October 1 that year.
The proposal faced opposition from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) and Alliance for National Transformation (ANT). Their leaders argued that allowing all opposition MPs to elect the Leader of the Opposition could undermine party autonomy and weaken opposition cohesion.
Parliament withdrew the Bill on March 12, 2026, before it could complete the legislative process.
A separate Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, sponsored by Kilak North MP Anthony Akol of the ruling National Resistance Movement, focused mainly on parliamentary administration and the composition of the Parliamentary Commission.
That Bill proposed including the Deputy Speaker on the commission, providing for parliamentary staff training and aligning the legislation with other laws. Parliament passed it on April 14, 2021, and it received presidential assent.
Namara’s Bill now seeks to revive the debate over who should choose the Leader of the Opposition and how the officeholder should be held accountable.
Its publication in the Gazette opens the way for the proposal to proceed through Parliament, but the existing law remains in force unless the proposed amendments are enacted.
