The original design for Uganda’s Parliament Building was selected from schemes submitted in competition by architects throughout the Commonwealth.  Since then, the design has been altered considerably to suit a larger assembly than was at first intended and also to allow the scheme to include several blocks of government offices.

The group of buildings are designed to accommodate two principal elements of Central Government – the Chamber for the Legislature, set forward in a position of prominence, is linked by bridges (in a manner intended to be both symbolical and practical) to executive departments of the Civil Service in the adjoining office blocks.

The most important room in the Parliament Building is the Chamber itself, entirely buried in the heart of the structure, artificially lighted and fully air conditioned and insulated from all external sources of noise.

The Chamber is modelled on the Chamber of the House of Commons in Westminster with government and opposition benches facing one another across the Floor of the House and with division lobbies flanking the Chamber on either side.

The Table occupies the centre of the Floor of the House, together with the desk of the Clerk. The Speaker’s chair, placed on a dais, faces the length of the Chamber to the main door leading to the Central Lobby.

The Chamber has been kept as small as possible to encourage the proper atmosphere for debate and to aid acoustics. Most of the architectural richness has been concentrated at the Members’ level of the Chamber, the press and the public galleries above and surrounding the Chamber being treated with less elaboration. Part of the seating on the first floor level of the Chamber has been set aside for Distinguished Strangers with access from the Members’ part of the building.

The Chamber has a specially designed ceiling composed of louvered lighting troughs and incorporating distribution grilles for the incoming   supply of dry, cool air.