Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has threatened to discipline Members of Parliament who intend to boycott parliamentary regional sittings.
She criticised such actions as undermining the legislative process and labelling them as wasteful expenditures.
The Leader of the Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, has been at the forefront of condemning the Shs5 billion Parliament plans to spend in each region where these sittings will be conducted.
While speaking with this publication ,Kaunda Grounds in Gulu City, and at the late Jacob Oulanyah's ancestral home in Omoro, Speaker Among criticized those who oppose the regional sittings, calling them enemies of development who are unwilling to represent their voters.
She emphasized that Parliament has the right to convene anywhere in the country, even on a roadside if necessary.
"Whoever is there saying 'no sitting, no sitting,' we shall sit. And that business of saying we aren't going to Gulu, those people don’t love you," Ms Among was quoted as saying on Parliament Watch's X handle.
"Parliament will take roll calls to establish the MPs that have attended and those that snubbed the sittings."
As the sitting opened in Gulu City, the Speaker ensured each of the hundreds of legislators introduced themselves kindergarten style.
Parliament Watch is a civic tech platform by run by the Centre for Policy, a public policy think tank that monitors and provides relevant data and expert insights on the Parliament of Uganda.
Speaker Among also expressed her gratitude to a section of opposition Members of Parliament led by former Leader of the Opposition Betty Aol, Gilbert Olanya (Kilak South), and Anthony Akol (Kilak North).
She urged locals to vote out legislators who oppose regional sittings in the upcoming 2026 Parliamentary Elections.
"I want to tell you people of the Greater North that whoever boycotts this session, don’t return that person to Parliament, because we are going to discuss issues that concern the Greater North,” Among said.
She added: “And that business of saying we are spending money in Gulu? Why do you want to spend it in Kampala? We are going to spend money in Gulu, and that money is budgeted for. What we are spending is money for our inland travels."
Additionally, Among praised opposition legislators who have rejected Joel Ssenyonyi's directives to boycott all parliamentary sittings, describing them as true statesmen.
"I thank the Opposition MPs who defied the Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi’s pronouncement to boycott the sittings," she said.
Parliament has officially opened its first regional sitting at Booma Grounds in Gulu.
The sitting is focused on the critical challenges affecting local communities.
Speaker Anita Among has officially chaired the session.
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