Article 88-97 Uganda Constitution 1995
Article 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, and 97 of the Uganda Constitution 1995 is under ‘Procedure of Parliament’ and ‘General’ of Chapter 6 of the Constitution. Chapter 6 is titled ‘The Legislature‘.
Article 88 Uganda Constitution 1995
Quorum of Parliament
(1) The quorum of Parliament shall be prescribed by the rules of procedure of Parliament made under article 94 of this Constitution.
(2) For the avoidance of doubt, the rules of procedure of Parliament may prescribe different quorums for different purposes.”
Article 89 Uganda Constitution 1995
Voting in Parliament
(1) Except as otherwise prescribed by this Constitution or any law consistent with this Constitution, any question proposed for decision of Parliament shall be determined by a majority of votes of the members present and voting in a manner prescribed by rules of procedure made by Parliament under article 94 of this Constitution.
(2) The person presiding in Parliament shall have neither an original nor a casting vote and if on any question before Parliament the votes are equally divided, the motion shall be lost.
Article 90 Uganda Constitution 1995
Committees of Parliament
(1) Parliament shall appoint committees necessary for the efficient discharge of its functions.
(2) Parliament shall, by its rules of procedure, prescribe the powers, composition and functions of its committees.
(3) In the exercise of their functions under this article, committees of Parliament—
(a) may call any Minister or any person holding public office and private individuals to submit memoranda or appear before them to give evidence;
(b) may co-opt any member of Parliament or employ qualified persons to assist them in the discharge of their functions;
(c) shall have the powers of the High Court for—
(i) enforcing the attendance of witnesses and examining them on oath, affirmation or otherwise;
(ii) compelling the production of documents; and
(ii) issuing a commission or request to examine witnesses abroad.
Article 91 Uganda Constitution 1995
Exercise of legislative powers
(1) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the power of Parliament to make laws shall be exercised through bills passed by Parliament and assented to by the President.
(2) A bill passed by Parliament shall, as soon as possible, be presented to the President for assent.
(3) The President shall, within thirty days after a bill is presented to him or her—
(a) assent to the bill;
(b) return the bill to Parliament with a request that the bill or a particular provision of it be reconsidered by Parliament; or
(c) notify the Speaker in writing that he or she refuses to assent to the bill.
(4) Where a bill has been returned to Parliament under clause (3)(b) of this article, Parliament shall reconsider it and if passed again, it shall be presented for a second time to the President for assent.
(5) Where the President returns the same bill twice under clause (3)(b) of this article and the bill is passed for the third time, with the support of at least two-thirds of all members of Parliament, the Speaker shall cause a copy of the bill to be laid before Parliament, and the bill shall become law without the assent of the President.
(6) Where the President—
(a) refuses to assent to a bill under clause (3)(c) of this article, Parliament may reconsider the bill and if passed, the bill shall be presented to the President for assent;
(b) refuses to assent to a bill which has been reconsidered and passed under paragraph (a) or clause (4) of this article, the Speaker shall, upon the refusal, if the bill was so passed with the support of at least two-thirds of all members of Parliament, cause a copy of the bill to be laid before Parliament, and the bill shall become law without the assent of the President.
(7) Where the President fails to do any of the acts specified in clause (3) of this article within the period prescribed in that clause, the President shall be taken to have assented to the bill and at the expiration of that period, the Speaker shall cause a copy of the bill to be laid before Parliament and the bill shall become law without the assent of the President.
(8) A bill passed by Parliament and assented to by the President or which has otherwise become law under this article shall be an Act of Parliament and shall be published in the Gazette.
Article 92 Uganda Constitution 1995
Restriction on retrospective legislation
Parliament shall not pass any law to alter the decision or judgment of any court as between the parties to the decision or judgment.
Article 93 Uganda Constitution 1995
Restriction on financial matters
Parliament shall not, unless the bill or the motion is introduced on behalf of the Government—
(a) proceed upon a bill, including an amendment bill, that makes provision for any of the following—
(i) the imposition of taxation or the alteration of taxation otherwise than by reduction;
(ii) the imposition of a charge on the Consolidated Fund or other public fund of Uganda or the alteration of any such charge otherwise than by reduction;
(iii) the payment, issue or withdrawal from the Consolidated Fund or other public fund of Uganda of any monies not charged on that fund or any increase in the amount of that payment, issue or withdrawal; or
(iv) the composition or remission of any debt due to the Government of Uganda; or
(b) proceed upon a motion, including an amendment to a motion, the effect of which would be to make provision for any of the purposes specified in paragraph (a) of this article.
Article 94 Uganda Constitution 1995
Rules of procedure in Parliament
(1) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, Parliament may make rules to regulate its own procedure, including the procedure of its committees.
(2) Parliament may act notwithstanding a vacancy in its membership.
(3) The presence or the participation of a person not entitled to be present or to participate in the proceedings of Parliament shall not, by itself, invalidate those proceedings.
(4) The rules of procedure of Parliament shall include the following provisions—
(a) the Speaker shall determine the order of business in Parliament and shall give priority to Government business;
(b) a member of Parliament has the right to move a private member’s
bill;
(c) the member moving the private member’s bill shall be afforded reasonable assistance by the department of Government whose area of operation is affected by the bill; and
(d) the office of the Attorney General shall afford the member moving the private member’s bill professional assistance in the drafting of the bill.
Article 95 Uganda Constitution 1995
Sessions of Parliament
(1) Where a new Parliament is elected, the President shall, by
proclamation, appoint the place and a date not beyond seven days after the expiry of the term of Parliament or of the extended period, as the case may be, for the first sitting of the new Parliament.
(2) A session of Parliament shall be held at such place within Uganda and shall commence at such time as the Speaker may, by proclamation, appoint.
(3) The Speaker may, after consultation with the President, prorogue Parliament by proclamation.
(4) A session of Parliament shall be held at least once a year but the period between one session and the next following session shall be less than twelve months.
(5) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, at least one-third of all members of Parliament may, in writing signed by them, request a meeting of Parliament; and the Speaker shall summon Parliament to meet within twenty-one days after receipt of the request.
Article 96 Uganda Constitution 1995
Dissolution of Parliament
Parliament shall stand dissolved upon the expiration of its term as prescribed by article 77 of this Constitution.
General
Article 97 Uganda Constitution 1995
(1) The Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, members of Parliament and any other person participating or assisting in or acting in connection with or reporting the proceedings of Parliament or any of its committees shall be entitled to such immunities and privileges as Parliament shall by law prescribe.
(2) Notwithstanding article 41 of this Constitution, no member or officer of Parliament and no person employed to take minutes of evidence before Parliament or any committee of Parliament shall give evidence elsewhere in respect of the contents of such minutes of evidence or the contents of any document laid before Parliament or any such committee, as the case may be, or in respect of any proceedings or examination held before Parliament or such committee, without the special leave of Parliament first obtained.
(3) The special leave referred to in clause (2) of this article may, during a recess or adjournment of Parliament, be given by the Speaker or in the absence or incapacity of the Speaker or during a dissolution of Parliament, by the Clerk to Parliament.
