Ugandan ambassadors and their deputies that President Museveni appointed are still waiting for their vetting by Parliament, ahead of being sent to their stations abroad.
In December 2021, President Museveni appointed 37 ambassadors and 4 deputies. While he appointed them, he retained some old ones but also replaced a number of them across the world.
The permanent secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lt. Gen. Joseph Musanyufu said Parliament has to vet the ambassadors. He further said that the ambassadors themselves are still waiting for this to happen.
“We are waiting for the parliament to vet the ambassadors before they are posted,” he said in an interview.
About the availability of funds for the ambassadors, Bagiire said they might require a supplementary budget.
Parliament has been on recess since December when the speaker adjourned the house. Jacob Oulanyah the speaker of parliament in mid-December adjourned the House sine die. This means they did not set an appointment date for the next sitting.
The Speaker said that during the recess, the MPs celebrate Christmas and the New Year. He told them to renew themselves so that they come back fresh to work.
However, they can recall MPs on short notice should there be an emergency that requires the plenary. The responsibility of vetting new ambassadors falls under the Parliamentary Appointments Committee under the Speaker.
The Clerk to Parliament, Adolf Mwesigwa Kasaija has written to MPs informing them of the resumption of parliamentary business.
He said the the plenary will resume on Thursday January, 27, 2022 at 2:00 pm. Many these have been looking forward to begin their diplomatic tour of duty.
