By Our Reporter
The Shadow Minister of Public Service, Anna Adeke, has proposed reducing the size of Parliament by limiting representation to two Members of Parliament (MPs) per district—one male and one female. She argues that Uganda’s MPs represent significantly fewer people compared to legislators in Nigeria and India, despite those countries having much larger populations.
Adeke’s proposal is part of the Alternative Policy Statement for the Public Service Sector for the 2025/26 financial year, in which she contends that the current Parliament is excessively large and imposes an unnecessary financial burden on taxpayers.
“With the current 529 MPs, Uganda’s Parliament is unnecessarily big. India, with a population of 1.38 billion, has only 552 MPs, with each legislator representing approximately 2.5 million people. China, which has the world’s largest Parliament with 2,980 legislators, has a population of 1.439 billion, meaning each MP represents around 482,000 people. Nigeria, with a population of 206 million, has 360 MPs, with each representing approximately 570,000 people,” Adeke explained.
She contrasted these figures with Uganda’s, where a population of 48.66 million is represented by 529 MPs, meaning each legislator serves only 91,984 people.
Adeke further argued that downsizing Parliament by 50% would enhance efficiency in debates and ensure more effective representation.
“A leaner House would maximize MPs’ contributions to debates and improve representation. We propose that each district be represented by one male and one female MP or that each MP should represent at least 200,000 people, considering the size of constituencies,” she added.
Separation of Powers: MPs Should Not Serve as Ministers
Adeke also opposes the practice of MPs doubling as Cabinet Ministers, arguing that it creates conflicts of interest and weakens Parliament’s oversight role. She insists that any MP appointed as a Minister should resign their parliamentary seat before assuming the new role.
“Ministers should not be MPs. If an MP is appointed to Cabinet, they should resign before assuming the position. The Legislature is meant to provide oversight and checks and balances on the Executive. It is difficult for MPs who are also Ministers to scrutinize government operations while simultaneously being part of the same Executive,” Adeke argued.
Reforming Public Service Recruitment
Adeke also called for restructuring the Public Service Commission by decentralizing recruitment from district to regional levels. She believes this would curb corruption, nepotism, and bribery in the hiring of civil servants.
“District Service Commissions have become hubs of corruption, where jobs are sold to incompetent individuals. The appointment of commissioners must be reviewed, and District Service Commissions should be replaced with regional commissions that recruit for districts.”
She further accused district leaders of manipulating the recruitment process to favor their relatives, political allies, or those who can afford bribes, at the expense of merit and service delivery.
“Recruitment and promotions have been politicized and tainted by corruption. Today, without a ‘kaki envelope’ (bribe) or political connections, it is nearly impossible to get a government job or be promoted in many districts. This has left youth from poor families permanently unemployed, while public service has become a preserve of the wealthy and families of NRM members,” Adeke noted.
To address these concerns, Adeke proposed:
Strict vetting of Public Service Commission members to ensure only individuals of high integrity are appointed.
Enhanced central oversight of district recruitment processes to ensure transparency and adherence to regulations.
Reforming salary structures to prevent civil servants from resorting to corrupt practices to supplement their earnings. “The current discriminatory pay system forces civil servants to steal public funds through dubious claims and projects while pretending to work,” she said.
Adeke emphasized that these reforms would streamline government operations, enhance accountability, and ensure fair access to public sector jobs for all Ugandans.
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