Buyaga West County MP, Hon. Denis Namara (NRM), has formally introduced the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2026 to the House, moving a step forward after legally skipping the obstacle of the requirement of a certificate of financial implications – a document denied by the Minister of Finance.
The Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2026 that was tabled for the first reading on Wednesday, 11 November 2026 seeks to amend the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Act, 2005 and provide for the election of the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Parliament and force formal cooperation amongst parties in opposition to government in Parliament.
Hon. Namara first sought and was granted leave of the House, a requirement of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament, to introduce the Bill in July this year.
Speaker, Jacob Oboth referred the Bill to the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs for scrutiny, without a vote because it was not accompanied by a certificate of financial implications.
“When a Bill comes without a certificate of financial implications, you do not put a question,” Oboth said.
Namara said that his efforts to secure the certificate of financial implications from the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development were futile.
He said that following the leave to introduce the Bill being granted, the Clerk to Parliament subsequently wrote to the Finance Minister on 07 August, 2026, to issue the certificate.
“The letter was received on 12 August 2026, but to-date, the Minister of Finance has not responded to the letter,” said Namara.
According to the Rules of Procedure of Parliament, a certificate of financial implications shall be deemed issued, 60 days from the date of the request of the certificate.
The Bill seeks to provide for election of the LoP by MPs from political parties in the opposition to the government, from among MPs of the political parties in opposition to the government.
The law in its current form provides that the LoP is elected by the opposition party with the greatest numerical strength in Parliament.
The Bill further seeks to amend grounds upon which the LoP ceases office.
“Parliament, through a resolution supported by more than half of all MPs, pass a vote of censure against the LoP under grounds of; inability to perform the functions of his or her office due to infirmity of body or mind determined by a medical practitioner as defined in the Mental Health Act, misbehavior, misconduct or incompetence,” the Bill reads in part.
The Bill also requires the LoP to appoint the shadow cabinet in consultation with the political parties in opposition to the Government.
Similarly, the Bill requires the LoP to consult political parties in opposition to the government represented in Parliament, in nominating MPs in opposition for election to the Parliamentary Commission, the Pan-African Parliament and the East African Legislative Assembly.
The LoP, under the proposed law, will also be required to consult political parties in opposition to the government represented in Parliament to nominate MPs in opposition to serve on international bodies, designate Chairpersons and Deputy Chairpersons of Standing Committees chaired by MPs in opposition and designate MPs in opposition to serve on Committees, and for related matters.
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