Parliament in 2018 largely transacted business that was pending from previous house, setting stage for the new parliament to set its agenda.

While at the Senate it was business as usual, the lower chamber of parliament which was sworn in September spent the last three months conducting training for new MPs and more work will be done the house resumes businesses in February 2019.

However, while many hailed great performance of the previous assembly, in terms of enactment of laws, some critics blamed the assembly for failing to hold government accountable on critical matters like corruption, unemployment and improved social welfare.

During the dissolution of the third legislative in August, Donatile Mukabalisa, who got reelected as the Speaker of parliament, stated that all 315 pieces of legislation that were tabled, in the previous five years, before plenary at the lower chamber were approved and that so far 276 of the adopted laws have been gazetted.

The Speaker told lawmakers that out of 353 petitions received at the lower chamber and scrutinized by different committees only three were carried forward and were supposed to be assessed by the current legislature.

Of those adopted laws for example, there were changes in the organic law relating to crimes; criminal procedure law; family and persons law, succession law, investment code, law on regulation and possession of guns to mention a few.

Of the agenda that will require more efforts in the next plenary sessions are issues relating to holding government accountable and ensuring peace, unity and reconciliation.

Ms Mukabalisa told journalists that holding government officials accountable was somehow tough since they were restrained by absence of laws that would call for immediate resignation for officials found in transgression.

Part of those laws, mostly relating to labour provided lengthy bureaucracy an employer must follow before taking acting against an employee accused of wrong doing.