Bill to change election of opposition leader gazetted

What the report says

A proposal by Buyaga West County MP Dennis Namara to change how Uganda’s Leader of the Opposition is chosen has been published in the Uganda Gazette, a procedural step that allows the draft law to move toward parliamentary debate. The bill, the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2026, appears as Bill No. 15 in the gazette issued on October 23, 2026, according to The Independent Uganda.

The proposed changes would shift the selection of the Leader of the Opposition from the largest opposition party to a vote by all opposition MPs. It would also require opposition lawmakers to approve the Shadow Cabinet, broaden consultation on leadership appointments, and add new grounds for removing the officeholder, including misconduct, incompetence and inability to serve. Namara has argued that the current rules concentrate too much control in one party and exclude other opposition MPs and independents from a role meant to represent the wider opposition.

The article says the bill follows a period of political tension around the office, including public exchanges involving Opposition Leader Joel Ssenyonyi and Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who heads the Patriotic League of Uganda. PLU-affiliated legislators later backed the idea of revising the law. The office of Leader of the Opposition is significant because it is central to scrutiny of government policy and carries privileges similar to those of a Cabinet minister.

The report also places the proposal in the context of earlier unsuccessful attempts to amend the law governing opposition leadership. Gazetting does not mean the bill has been passed; it must still go through Parliament’s legislative process.