The Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah has given the Parliament committee on Gender, Labour and Social Development ten days to process the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Amendment Bill 2021 and report back to parliament.
This comes as after government tabled six bills before parliament for assessment including the Landlord and Tenants bill, Supplementary bill, the Fisheries and Aquaculture bill 2021 and the Physical planner’s registration bill 2021
The NSSF bill was tabled by the Minister of State for the Elderly Gidudu Mafaabi and after retabling the bill the Speaker directed the committee to handle the bill expeditiously and only look at the clauses that the president wants parliament to address as indicated in his letter when he returned the bill.
“Honorable Members you know the background to this bill, there have been discussions in the public concerning the bill. As you recall the bill had come from government and the process had gone up to the President who returned it to another Parliament and none of the rules of procedures was followed neither the Constitution followed,” Oulanyah said.
Oulanyah added that, “The committee had exhausted the matter and finished, also the President had looked at it and made comments on four clauses so when we send it back to the committee, we ask you to mainly look at the report that was adopted by the other Parliament and focus at the proposals that were sent back by the President instead of going the whole way and I give you ten days to report back to the house.”
The president in his letter read to parliament this month wants parliament to amend clauses on midterm access where only savers who have saved for ten years and are 45 years are eligible to access 20 percent of their savings and the fund to be transferred to the ministry of finance instead of having it under the ministry of finance and gender.
The Landlord and Tenant bill was tabled by the Minister of Lands, Judith Nabakooba while the Fisheries and Aquaculture bill was tabled by the Government whip Thomas Tayebwa and the State Minister for Micro finance Haruna Kasolo tabled the Supplementary bills.