A motion to compel the Commander of the Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to appear before a joint parliamentary committee scrutinising the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) Amendment Bill 2025 has collapsed after the majority of committee members voted it down.
The motion, tabled by Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze, sparked sharp debate during a joint sitting of the Legal and Defence Committees.
Nambooze and Makindye West MP Derick Nyeko argued that Gen Muhoozi, in his capacity as CDF, plays a central role in implementing the law and should therefore offer his views directly to the committee.
“He is the implementer of the bill being processed; there is need to have him appear before the Committee,” Nambooze insisted.
But several MPs pushed back, questioning the appropriateness of summoning the CDF when the Commander-in-Chief—President Museveni—had not been consulted.
Others contended that if the CDF’s input was needed, the Defence Committee alone, rather than the joint committee, should handle such an invitation under parliamentary rules of procedure.
The resulting vote saw a majority of members shoot down Nambooze’s motion, ending efforts to formally bring Gen Muhoozi before the committee.
The development points to deeper disagreements among lawmakers over how to engage the military hierarchy in the legislative process.
As the UPDF Amendment Bill 2025 moves forward, it remains under the scrutiny of the joint committee, whose deliberations continue to stir interest amid questions over civil-military relations and legislative oversight of the armed forces.