MP Odur Calls For Orientation of Ministers

Erute South MP Jonathan Odur has tasked the government to take Cabinet Ministers through a comprehensive orientation process.

Odur made his request during plenary on Wednesday afternoon, expressing disappointment in the behavior of some ministers. According to Odur, a number of ministers are blank about their roles, which hinders government service delivery.

He was particularly disturbed by the inaccessibility and unresponsiveness of ministers to critical issues of national importance. Odur also likened the orientation to that which the rest of the MPs go through.

“For us as MPs, we have been taken through orientation. I don’t know whether Cabinet has that; I think our ministers have to do tha. These ministers, you can’t get them in their offices. If you go to their offices and write a chit, and they see that this is a Member of Parliament, you would hardly access them. If you send them a text message, you can’t get a response.” Odur stated.

Much as the opposition MPs welcomed Odur’s suggestion, it was met with stiff resistance on the opposite front bench.

Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Chris Baryomunsi, tasked Odur to specify the ministers with an issue. Baryomunsi also revealed that the Standing Orders in most Ministries give MPs a free pass to meet with Ministers.

“The public, which includes our voters, listens to this debate in the House. But the impression is being created that Ministers don’t value Parliament. That Ministers don’t receive MPs in their offices, and the MP is generalizing. Can you be specific? Because many of us, the Standing Orders provide that when the MP comes, we allow the MP access, so unless you name that it is so and so, please stop blanketing all of us as if we don’t value MPs,” said Baryomunsi.