Failure to honour committee summons undermines constitutional accountability, the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Jacob Marksons Oboth, has said as concerns mounted over the effectiveness of parliamentary scrutiny when senior government officials stay away.

“It has come to my attention that some accounting officers are not honouring invitations to appear before committees of Parliament,” Oboth said in his communication at the start of the House sitting on Wednesday, 19 August 2026.

“I would like to remind all accounting officers that it is their constitutional obligation to be accountable to the citizens of this country through Parliament, where they are represented. I therefore beseech them to appear whenever summoned,” he added.

Earlier in the day, the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) struggled to advance its inquiry into alleged corruption and mismanagement at the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA), due to the absence of the UCAA Director General and Accounting Officer Fred K. Bamwesigye.

Speaker Oboth framed appearance before committees not as a courtesy but as a core link in the chain of accountability to taxpayers.