A total of 132 MPs will today Monday be sworn in for a five-year term as representatives for different constituencies across the country, in the 11th Parliament.
The swearing-in ceremony which will be presided over by the clerk to Parliament will last four days starting today Monday, May 17, until Thursday, May 20th, at the Parliamentary building in Kampala.
According to the statement issued by the clerk to Parliament Jane Kibirige, the swearing-in ceremony will start at 8:00am and end at 6:30pm each day.
The program indicates that the swearing will be done in shifts with the first shift starting at 8:00am and ending at 1:30pm before the second shift kicks off at 2:00pm, and ends at 6:30 in the evening.
Using the alphabetical order, the Adjumani district woman MP Jesca Ababiku will be the first MP, to take the oath. She will be followed by women MP-elect for Otuke district Suzan Abeja Jolly, Lillian Aber, the woman MP-elect for Kitgum district, Cuthbert Abigaba Mirembe, the Kibale county MP-elect and Agnes Abwoli Kunihira, the worker’s MP-elect.
The Monday swearing-in ceremony will end with Woman MP-elect Amudat district, Chelain Betty Louke, who will be sworn in before 6:30pm.
Oath
After the January 14, Parliamentary elections, Members of Parliament (MPs) were elected to represent the people of Uganda in the 11th Parliament.
As a standard procedure, they cannot assume office until they have been sworn in effect, this is prescribed by chapter 19, oaths Act of 1963.
A Member of Parliament takes the oath of Allegiance followed by the Oath of Member of Parliament, both laid out in the fourth schedule of the 1995 constitution and the first schedule of the Oath Act of 1963.
Unlike the outgoing Parliament (10th Parliament) which used three days to swear in the outgoing MPs, the 11th parliament picked four days to conduct the weeklong ceremony, due to the increased number of MPs and the need to observe the COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which among other things provide for social distancing.
A total of 529 newly elected MPs are set to be sworn in this week, compared to only 427 MPs that were sworn in May 2016 for the 10th Parliament.
Tight guidelines
To observe the COVID-19 SOPs, Parliament has issued a list of tough guidelines that will be followed during the exercise, to avoid the spread of COVID-19.
According to the clerk to Parliament, all elected MPS who will turn up for swearing-in are barred from carrying crowds to Parliament for their swearing-in.
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