The Parliament of Uganda has deployed the 10 independent UPDF representatives in the 12th Parliament to various committees of the House, with postings spread across standing and sectoral committees.
The announcement was made on the floor of Parliament on 7th July 2026 during the 6th sitting of the 12th Parliament by Brig Gen David Gonyi, Chief of Staff of the (Uganda Peoples’ Defence Air Force (UPDAF) and whip of the 10 independent UPDF legislators. The sitting was chaired by the Deputy Speaker Rt Hon Thomas Tayebwa.
Presenting one name per committee, Brig Gen Gonyi said each committee comprises a majority of NRM MPs with a few members from the opposition.
“Committees are the backbone of legislative oversight, budgeting and law-making,” the announcement noted.
Parliament operates two principal categories of committees.
Standing Committees, are permanent bodies established at the beginning of a parliamentary term and reconstituted halfway through.
They undertake continuous oversight, specialized investigations and the administration of the House.
Sectoral Committees, are departmentally aligned panels that mirror government ministries. They are reconstituted at the start of each session, have about 30 members each, and focus on examining budget allocations and scrutinising bills within their remits.
Standing Committee Allocations
The following UPDF representatives were named to standing committees:
– Maj Gen Henry Matsiko – Public Accounts Committee
– Brig Gen Dr. David Gonyi – Business Committee
– Lt Gen James Mugira – Committee on National Economy
– Maj Gen James Kinalwa – Appointments Committee
– Maj Gen James Kinalwa – Committee on Human Immune Virus (HIV), Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and Related Matters.
– Col Night Ikiriza– Equal Opportunities Committee (EOC).
– Lt Gen Sam Kavuma – Public Accounts Committee [Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises – COSASE]
– Lt Gen Sam Okiding – Public Accounts Committee [Local Government]
– Col Christine Nekesa – Human Rights Committee
– Maj Gen Joseph Ssemwanga– Climate Change Committee
– Col. Sylvia Meeme – Science, Technology and Innovation Committee
Other core standing committees include the Budget Committee, the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline, and the Government Assurance and Implementation Committee.
Sectoral Committee Allocations
In sectoral committees, the UPDF legislators were posted as follows:
– Lt Gen Sam Kavuma – Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries
– Maj Gen James Kinalwa – Tourism, Trade and Industry
– Col Christine Nekesa – Health
– Maj Gen Henry Matsiko– Education and Sports
– Lt Gen Sam Okiding – Physical Infrastructure
– Lt Gen James Mugira – Legal and Parliamentary Affairs
– Col Sylvia Meeme– Environment and Natural Resources
– Col Night Ikiriza – Presidential Affairs
– Brig Gen Dr. David Gonyi– Foreign Affairs
– Maj Gen Joseph Ssemwanga – Defence and Internal Affairs
Committees without UPDF representation
The 10 UPDF representatives were not allocated to the following committees in either category: Privileges, Rules and Discipline; Budget; Government Assurance and Implementation; Subsidiary Legislation; Gender, Labour and Social Development; Lands, Housing and Urban Development; Public Service and Local Government; Finance, Planning and Economic Development; ICT and National Guidance; and East African Community Affairs.
The committee system enables Parliament to conduct in-depth scrutiny, oversight and legislative work that would be difficult to achieve in plenary.
