By Joseph Kiggundu
KAMPALA — Speaker of Parliament Jacob Marksons Oboth has urged MPs involved in international engagements to move beyond ceremonial visits and return with lessons, partnerships and opportunities that deliver tangible benefits to Uganda.
Oboth made the call on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, as Parliament resumed plenary after its recess, saying parliamentary diplomacy should be more structured and closely aligned with Uganda’s broader foreign policy objectives.
He said Parliament was strengthening parliamentary friendship groups with selected countries, starting with Australia, India and the United Kingdom, while Japan and Germany were also being considered.
“We are not competing with Foreign Affairs, neither are we competing with the government. We are only complementing and supplementing,” Oboth said.
The Speaker said Parliament would continue working through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when establishing international relationships, noting that some countries require government clearance before parliamentary engagements can be undertaken.
He said MPs should actively participate in parliamentary friendship groups and use the relationships to create opportunities for Uganda, including scholarships, legislative exchanges, investment and other forms of cooperation.
“We expect them to put up a list of registration that at least every member belongs to one parliamentary friendship group,” Oboth said.
Oboth said Parliament was also developing a framework, including a memorandum of understanding, to guide the friendship groups and ensure that engagements produce measurable outcomes.
He cited the Australia-Uganda Parliamentary Friendship Group, whose members recently returned from an exchange visit, as an example of how parliamentary diplomacy could strengthen bilateral cooperation.
“One of the reports should be coming this week, especially the Australia-Uganda group,” he said, adding that the report would identify areas in which the two Parliaments could cooperate.
During the recess, Oboth said he met the Speaker of the UK House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, as part of efforts to strengthen relations between the two legislatures.
He also attended the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, where he held bilateral discussions with Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on cooperation in trade, education, agricultural research, climate change and capacity building.
Oboth urged MPs participating in international parliamentary bodies and friendship groups to approach such engagements with clear objectives and ensure that knowledge and opportunities gained abroad are brought back to Uganda.
“Go to learn, go to share, go to build relationships,” he said.
Kassanda County North MP Patrick Nsamba Oshabe proposed that Parliament establish a database to track commitments made during international engagements.
Nsamba said MPs were often unaware of commitments made at various international forums, making it difficult to consistently follow up on agreements and represent Uganda’s interests.
Oboth said the proposed system would improve coordination of parliamentary diplomacy while ensuring that Parliament’s international engagements remain aligned with Government’s foreign policy.