By Guest Writer
London, United Kingdom – The Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda, Rt. Hon. Jacob Marksons Oboth, has called for the establishment of a bilateral network between Uganda and the United Kingdom to bolster his legislative reform of the 12th Parliament.
The Speaker made the call during a meeting with the Speaker of the UK House of Commons, Rt. Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle, held on September 17, 2026 in the Speaker’s chambers, northeast corner of the Palace of Westminster (the Houses of Parliament) in London.
He accompanied to the meeting by Her Excellency Nimisha Madhvani, Uganda’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ms. Lisa Chesney, UK High Commissioner to Uganda.
During the meeting, Speaker Oboth observed that the networking would underpin bilateral cooperation in legislative oversight, education, and trade, giving practical shape to the reforms currently under way in Uganda’s Parliament.
“This is about consolidating our efforts to reset, revive, and rejuvenate the management and affairs of the Parliament of Uganda,” Oboth said, describing the visit as a deliberate return to the roots of parliamentary practice.
The proposed network is envisioned as a structured channel for staff and member exchanges, attachments, and benchmarking programmes between the two institutions; mechanisms Speaker Oboth said would translate long-standing goodwill between the parliaments into tangible, working cooperation.
“Such parliamentary relations should be strengthened to a level that brings the two parliaments, and the two nations, closer in jointly pursuing shared interests,” Oboth said.
The push for closer networking is closely tied to a broader programme Speaker Oboth has championed since assuming office: resetting the systems, structures, and operations of the Parliament of Uganda, an institution whose administrative framework was historically modelled on the House of Commons.
He pointed to the UK Parliament’s long institutional history as a source of lessons and inspiration for reforms currently under way in Kampala.
Speaker Hoyle acknowledged the accolade and confirmed that the UK parliament would support the bilateral cooperation and help drive inter-parliamentary diplomacy between Kampala and UK.
He used the occasion to congratulate Speaker Oboth upon his election in may this to the third highest office in Uganda.
“We have seen you as a visionary leader and your unique approach to parliamentary work is a mark of great leadership qualities in you, “said Speaker Hoyle.
Speaker Hoyle added that the cooperation would also strengthen the Commonwealth family and serve as a vehicle to preserve the excellent relations between the two countries.
Speaker Hoyle added that the cooperation should also be seen in strengthening processes for a shared agenda in the Commonwealth family.
This meeting has come on the heels of the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC), that has ended in Cape Town South Africa where Speaker Oboth pledged deeper ties between Ugandan and Pakistani parliaments.
The conference brought together over 800 parliamentarians, speakers and governance experts from across the Commonwealth under the theme “Strengthening International Law and Parliamentary Democracy in a Changing World Order: Commonwealth Leadership.”
The Speaker’s parliamentary delegation comprised Hon. Emely Kugonza (Buyanja East), Hon. Naome Kabasharira (Rushenyi County), Hon. Otim Benard (Maruzi North County), Hon. Fortunate Rose Nantongo (Kyotera Woman MP), Hon. Silas Aogon (Kumi Municipality), and Hon. Adrine Katusiime (Sheema Woman MP).
