Bt Tolit Ivan
Preparations to host the first ever regional parliamentary outreach sitting in Gulu City have started, a step towards bringing the plenary sessions closer to the local populace to closely follow the discussions held in the Parliament outside Kampala.
Parliament is set to hold outreach sittings covering the four traditional regions of Uganda which include; the North, Eastern, Western, and Central. The first regional sitting for the Northern region will be held on August 29 and August 30 at Kaunda Playgrounds in Bardege-Layibi Division in Gulu City.
Ojara Martine Mapenduzi, the host MP says preparations started with the inspection of the venue and conducting meetings with different stakeholders to identify critical issues affecting the region to be presented to parliament. His counterpart of Laroo-Pece City Division Rev. Fr. Charles Onen, says the regional sitting will come with a lot of business opportunities, asking entrepreneurs in Northern Uganda to position them to tap these business opportunities.
It’s estimated that the sitting will attract more than 1,000 people including 555 members of the Parliament, ex-officials, parliamentary staff and drivers.
The regional parliamentary sitting will be the first of its kind to be held outside Kampala since October 1962 when Parliament held its first sitting, a day after the country attained its independence.
