Parliament pressures new house chamber contractors as members lack seating space

• MPs resumed business in an overcrowded chamber, leaving several lawmakers without seats.

• Dan Kimosho warned that blocked exits could pose a safety risk during emergencies.

• Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa said Parliament would pressure contractors to speed up construction.

• Parliament expects the new chambers to be completed by the end of 2027 after years of delays.

Uganda's new Parliament opened its first sitting on July 7, 2026, with lawmakers struggling to find seats, sparking concerns about safety and comfort.

At 2pm before the plenary opened, the chamber was filled beyond capacity as members of the 12th Parliament gathered for the first sitting of the First Session. 

Several MPs remained standing while others occupied aisles and spaces near entrances and exits.

The congestion also sparked complaints from Opposition legislators, who accused some ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) MPs of occupying seats reserved for the Opposition, contrary to parliamentary practice.

Kazo County MP Dan Kimosho raised concerns over safety, warning that the overcrowding could become dangerous in the event of an emergency.

"The rules on the House sitting arrangement require that the Speaker shall ensure that each member has a comfortable seat, taking into consideration the age or disability of the member. But as you can see, all the entrances and exits of the chamber are filled by members. I seek guidance on how we can proceed, especially if there is a fire alarm and a stampede that can happen," Kimosho said.

Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa in response, acknowledged the shortage of seats but said the House could only allocate the space currently available.

"The rules require me to preserve a seat for each member, but I can only preserve what is available. The seats currently preserved are for the government Cabinet, the Opposition Cabinet, and the elderly and disabled members in the corner," Tayebwa said.

He revealed that Parliament had received an update on the progress of the long-delayed new chambers and said the leadership would meet the contractors to demand faster delivery.

"I spoke to the Hon Speaker. We are going to meet the contractors. We are putting them under pressure. The progress these days has been good because we had to use other methods, including paying the subcontractors directly so that work could move. We promise that by the end of next year, the chambers will be ready, but for now we should improvise," he said.

The new parliamentary chambers project was launched to address the growing shortage of space after the number of MPs increased to more than 550, far beyond the capacity of the current chamber, which was designed decades ago for a much smaller House. 

Construction has, however, suffered repeated delays. Auditor General findings show the contractor has revised completion deadlines several times, while progress has lagged behind schedule. 

By the end of the 2024/25 financial year, the project had reached only about 49 per cent completion against a planned 69 per cent. More than Shs263 billion had already been spent on the project. 

The delays have been linked to financial challenges facing the contractor, slow project execution and changes in funding arrangements. Parliament later adopted a system of paying subcontractors directly to keep construction moving after concerns over the pace of work.