Thomas Tayebwa urges Uganda Parliament to prioritize climate action

Ugandan Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa has called on Members of Parliament to move beyond rhetoric and implement practical legislative and budgetary measures to combat climate change. Speaking at an induction for the Parliamentary Committee on Climate Change and the Committee on Natural Resources in Kampala, Tayebwa warned that failure to act could destroy livelihoods and undermine national development gains.

Tayebwa specifically criticized the reliability of current national weather forecasts, stating he would “rather trust my village rainmaker” than the existing meteorological system. He noted that despite previous lobbying for equipment, current predictions remain inaccurate.

To improve disaster preparedness, Tayebwa urged Parliament to increase funding for meteorological services from the current levels to approximately Shs50 billion. This follows the dissolution of the Uganda National Meteorological Authority (UNMA) under a government rationalization program, which moved its functions into the Ministry of Water and Environment. He emphasized that accurate weather information is essential for economic planning and protecting infrastructure from floods, droughts, and landslides.