Uganda and China have enjoyed an excellent bilateral relationship since October 18th, 1962. And so, in New Delhi, India, I had the honour of building on that relationship and friendship with H.E. Zheng Jianbang, Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress. While meeting him on the sidelines of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, I told Vice Chairperson Zheng that China’s Parliament has a unique model that we in Uganda can learn from, and I invited him and his colleagues to visit Kampala. I was glad that he accepted and extended a similar invitation to us. Our two countries already work closely, from the Kampala–Entebbe Expressway and the Karuma and Isimba power plants to the scholarships that take young Ugandans to study in China every year. There is room to do more together. China’s decision to open its market to African products without tariffs gives our farmers and manufacturers a real opportunity, and I hope to see more Ugandan coffee, fish and processed goods reach Chinese consumers. Parliaments can bring our peoples closer through exchanges of Members and staff, and I look forward to deepening these ties. I thank Vice Chairperson Zheng for a warm and constructive meeting. For God and My Country.

The just-ended 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi has been a crucial event, especially regarding the critical role of Parliaments. In my address to the forum today, I raised the key issues that parliaments ought to focus on in order to be trusted by the people and also be able to construct people-centred legislation for the millions of people across the BRICS countries. I outlined some of the issues that Parliaments have to grapple with to earn the trust of the masses and ensure that legislation passed makes a difference in the lives of millions of people spread over the vast terrain of the BRICS countries. The word sustainability means nothing if you do not improve the lives of the people by providing them with clean water, decent jobs, education, and a means to earn a living to sustain themselves. For the theme of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum on the role of Parliaments in fostering a sustainable and inclusive future for their nations, sustainability for Uganda’s millions of people would mean a lot more if they had clean water, decent employment, education, etc to create secure livelihoods for them. The climate change committee and environment committee of the Uganda Parliament have begun to include sustainability in the national development planning framework. But more important is the implementation of the sustainability policies on the ground in terms of funding and what more we can do as parliament, be held accountable, and ensure that the climate change funds are reaching where they are supposed to reach. Present was the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, and other members of the delegation who demonstrated that the Government and Opposition of Uganda stand together. For God and My Country. @ParliamentUG #BRICSPF2026 #BRICSIndia2026 #ParliamentUG #PeoplesParliamentUG

Thank you, Steph.

Thank you, Honourable Kibaaju.

Thank you, Rt. Hon. First Deputy Prime Minister!

Today, on the sidelines of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi, I met HE Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates. It was a fruitful and successful meeting. We discussed how to strengthen bilateral and parliamentary cooperation between Uganda and the UAE, and how to expand our partnership in areas of mutual interest. The UAE matters a great deal to Uganda. It is our largest export market. In 2024, we sold goods worth $2.61 billion to the UAE and bought $1.29 billion, mostly fuel. UAE investment in Uganda had reached about $3.5 billion by 2024. Much of what we sell to the UAE is gold. I want to see more Ugandan coffee, fish, fruit and other processed goods reach that market, and more investment in processing at home. Parliaments can help by keeping our people in touch, sharing experience, and following up on agreements made by our governments. This meeting adds to our talks here with India’s Lok Sabha and Russia’s State Duma. I look forward to more bilateral engagements with the FNC, and I thank Speaker Ghobash and his delegation for a warm exchange. For God and My Country. @fnc_uae @ParliamentUG #BRICS #BRICSIndia2026 #UAE #Uganda #FNC #PeoplesParliamentUG

It was a fruitful and successful meeting , looking forward to more bilateral engagements

This morning at Samvidhan Sadan in New Delhi, I was pleased to meet the Prime Minister of India, Shri @NarendraModi, at the opening of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum. Our exchange builds on the warm engagements we have had since we arrived, including with my counterpart, Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla. Uganda and India share a long friendship rooted in history and trade, and in the many Indians who have made Uganda their home and contribute so much to our economy. As a BRICS partner country, Uganda is here to deepen these ties. Our two-way trade is about $1.35 billion a year, and there is room to grow it, especially by bringing more Ugandan products to the Indian market and attracting investment in processing at home. I thank Prime Minister Modi and the people of India for their hospitality. For God and My Country. #BRICSPF2026 #BRICSIndia2026 #ParliamentUG #PeoplesParliamentUG

Our attendance at this Forum further enhances our continuous mission of constructing bi-lateral relations with global parliaments. Parliamentary diplomacy is not ceremony. It is how we open doors to trade, investment, skills and technology for Uganda. Most importantly, it is how we ensure that Africa’s voice is heard where decisions are made. I therefore, look forward to sharing Uganda’s perspective and building partnerships that deliver for our people. I thank the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Shri Om Birla, for the warm welcome. Uganda and India enjoy excellent relations, while bilateral trade stands at $1.35 billion. The Indian business community, numbering between 25,000 and 27,000, contributes about 65 percent of Uganda’s income tax. We are here to build partnerships that bring trade, investment and skills home to Ugandans. #BRICSPF2026 #BRICSIndia2026 #BRICS2026

Dear Fellow Citizens, I arrived in New Delhi today for the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, which runs from 26 to 27 October under the theme “Fostering Parliaments for People-Centric Development.” I am joined by the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi (Nakawa West), Hon. Betty Nakisita Mpongo (Namutumba District), Hon. Sowedi Ismail Mulemya (Busia Municipality) and Hon. Annet Katusiime Mugisha (Bushenyi District). Government and Opposition are here together for Uganda’s national interest. As a BRICS partner country, our delegation will contribute to discussions on building strong institutions, how to ensure sustainable development and a fairer global governance, digital innovation and human-centred artificial intelligence. This all because we have placed our people at the centre of the legislative agenda of the 12th Parliament. #BRICSPF2026 #BRICSIndia2026 #BRICS2026

I have been humbled and privileged to host the Inter-Religious Prayers and Thanksgiving of the Parliament of Uganda this morning at Parliament. Christians, Muslims, and people of other faiths gathered on the Parliament grounds to thank the Giver of life and leadership. We would not be where we are without God’s grace. I reminded colleagues that in the 12th Parliament we see God’s hand in our progress as an institution, and that leadership is a responsibility we carry out in service of the people. I invited staff in attendance to recall the parliamentary prayer that we invoke at the opening of every sitting. In that prayer, we ask God to grant us wisdom and guidance to handle matters before us justly and faithfully for the good of those that God has entrusted to our care. We must take those words seriously. I said that public office is a trust. That trust must show in the laws we pass, in how we use public resources and in how faithfully we represent our constituents. I thanked the Rt. Rev. Samuel George Bogere Egesa, Bishop of Bukedi, for both reminding and challenging us. Every day, even in this House, we stand at a crossroads. I also thanked the religious leaders of all the different denominations that joined us today. In my remarks, I stressed that our people want a better life. Good Schools and healthcare. They want jobs. They demand that we leaders lead by example and use public resources responsibly. I joined all the faithful to pray for wisdom, courage, and humility. I prayed for wisdom and courage to correct our mistakes whenever they occur. This is because a people-centred Parliament begins with us. I thanked the choir, especially Hon. Zambaali Mukasa, for singing so well. I should have joined them, but next time. I thank the Parliamentary staff who joined us in prayer. I thank Imam Kasozi Iddi, whom I met at Makerere University in 1997, for attending. Thank you to everyone who came. God bless Uganda. FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY!

This morning, I bid farewell to H.E. Majid Saffar, Iran’s Ambassador to Uganda, who called on me at the end of his four-year tour of duty. The Ambassador noted that agreements signed between Uganda and Iran on judicial cooperation, customs, banking and trade have stalled at the final stage of administrative review. From my background in Defence, I know executive channels often face bureaucratic bottlenecks. I proposed parliamentary diplomacy to break this deadlock, with Parliament creating direct frameworks, incentive laws and business connections between our two countries. To anchor this, I committed to reviving the Iran-Uganda Parliamentary Friendship Group with a fresh cohort of Ugandan legislators. We also discussed Iran’s offers in steel and fertilizer supply, drones for agricultural irrigation and security, and fully funded scholarships for Ugandan students. I thank Ambassador Saffar for his service and wish him well in his next assignment.

This morning, I officially opened the first Annual Review Workshop of the Legislation, Oversight and Representation (LOR) Programme in the 12th Parliament. The workshop was organised by Parliament’s Corporate Planning and Strategy Department. The workshop lets us reflect on how the programme performed in the first year of the Fourth National Development Plan and Government’s Tenfold Growth Strategy. We will look at how far we have come, where we fell short, and what we can do better. The LOR Programme exists to serve Ugandans. When we enact good laws, scrutinise how public resources are used and speak for our constituents, we turn government promises into real change in people’s lives. We must ask ourselves honest questions. Are laws at national and local government levels enacted on time? Does our oversight deliver the change citizens expect? Are their concerns considered during appropriation? I emphasised three things. A programme must be planned, budgeted for, implemented and reported on as one. It must be owned by all partners and actors. And our work must be driven by evidence, sound data and timely reporting. I urged participants to leave with practical commitments for the coming financial year.

Fellow citizens, I have seen some reports in the media about the on-going validation exercise of the staff of the Parliamentary Service. There is no panic. There's bliss! For fairness and transparency, I requested the assistance of Head of Public Service because Parliamentary service is indeed Public Service . It is not the interest of the new leadership of Parliament to see anyone lose a job. The nation should not overthink this. Everyone should take it easy and keep serving. I would like to assure the country that this exercise is a normal process. What we are doing is a simple exercise of restoring morale ,intergrity and sanity in the parliamentary service. When you are called a senior, you should actually be a senior. When you are a principal, you should actually be a principal. You can become a director whether you joined in 2024 or 2026, but it must come with the right qualifications and experience. Think of public service as a race. Everyone should begin from the same starting line and run fairly to the finish. That is all this validation seeks to ensure. I grew up through merit. I did interviews from the entry point and was shortlisted among many. I had no god parent in public service God was instead, my parent. I know it is possible to grow. And as Parliamentary Service, we are taking the lead on this. I, therefore, appeal for patience and all staff should remain calm and go about their activities normally.

Having previously come here with a patient, I am here as a witness to pay back and support a facility that does something truly great in Uganda and across Eastern and Central Africa. A heartfelt thank you to all the runners for your incredible contribution today, and let us continue letting the world know about the life-saving work of CURE Hospital. God bless you all!

Having previously come here with a patient, I am here as a witness to pay back and support a facility that does something truly great in Uganda and across Eastern and Central Africa. A heartfelt thank you to all the runners for your incredible contribution today, and let us continue letting the world know about the life-saving work of CURE Hospital. God bless you all!

Today morning, I was honored to flag off an important run for CURE brain surgery hospital to save lives. Standing alongside Honorable Minister @honlydiawanyoto , fellow Members of Parliament, and well-wishers, I was reminded that this hospital brings life not just to hundreds, but millions, because saving a single life touches everyone. CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda in Mbale has spent a decade running to support the smallest among us, performing specialized pediatric brain surgeries for conditions like hydrocephalus and spina bifida.