Bill to change election of Leader of Opposition gazetted

What the report says

Uganda’s Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2026 has been gazetted, a procedural step that allows it to be considered by Parliament. According to The Observer, the private member’s Bill was introduced by Buyaga West County MP Dennis Namara and appears in the Uganda Gazette as Bill No. 15, dated October 23, 2026.

The proposal would change how the Leader of the Opposition is chosen, supervised and removed. It would shift the election of the office from the largest opposition party to all opposition MPs, require parliamentary approval for the Shadow Cabinet, widen consultation on opposition leadership appointments and add new grounds for removing the LoP. The Bill also proposes that the current officeholder vacate the position three months after the law takes effect, followed by a fresh election under the new rules.

Namara has argued that the current framework gives one opposition party too much control over a post meant to represent the wider opposition. The story notes that the move comes after earlier attempts to reform the law, including proposals by Andrew Aja Baryayanga in 2018-2019 and Richard Kizito Lumu in 2024, both of which sought broader participation in selecting opposition leaders. Lumu’s bill was later withdrawn, according to parliamentary records.

The debate has also taken place against tensions involving current LoP Joel Ssenyonyi and Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, whose allies have publicly backed changes to the law. Gazetting does not mean the Bill has passed; it still must go through Parliament’s legislative process before any amendments can take effect.