Speaker Oboth Urges Researchers to Petition Parliament Over Science-Policy Gaps

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Marksons Oboth has called on the country’s research community to formally petition the House with concrete evidence regarding disconnects between scientific findings and national policy. Speaking as the keynote guest at Kyambogo University during the ‘Science Meets Parliament’ dialogue, Oboth emphasized that Parliament is fully prepared to investigate bottlenecks, assign responsibility, and enforce corrective measures.

The event, organized by the AgriFoSe2030 Uganda Hub under the theme focusing on sustainable agricultural transformation, drew attention to a recurring national challenge. According to the Speaker, Uganda is not short on policies, institutional expertise, or research hubs; rather, the country struggles with understanding why research, resource allocation, and implementation fail to align. He challenged scientists to transition from producing standard academic conclusions to packaging their findings as actionable policy proposals.

During the dialogue, Kyambogo University Vice Chancellor Eli Katunguka highlighted several institutional hurdles, including critical understaffing where public universities operate at roughly 35 percent capacity. He noted difficulties in retaining highly qualified personnel, such as PhD-holding engineers, who often migrate to more lucrative private sector roles. Katunguka further proposed the establishment of a dedicated parliamentary science-policy dialogue platform alongside a center of excellence focused on science translation.

Prof. Elisabeth Rajala, Programme Director of AgriFoSe2030, noted that scientific knowledge frequently remains trapped in academic publications instead of reaching farmers and policymakers on the ground. Funded by Sida and led by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the programme marks its tenth anniversary with regional hubs operating in Uganda, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.

For more details on this story, read the original report on the Parliament of Uganda.