In anticipation of the move, almost all legislators turned up for the sitting unusually filling the house to capacity. Nakawa Division MP Micheal Kabaziguruka, who has been bedridden after a nasty accident a few months ago, equally showed up in an ambulance and was supported into the chambers to attend what had been dubbed as a historical sitting.
The much-anticipated presentation of a private members bill to amend the presidential age limit has been postponed.
NRM legislators led by Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi had plotted to table a motion today to pave way for the amendment of article 102 (b) of the constitution, which caps the presidential age at 75.
The move would lift the last hurdle for President Yoweri Museveni to seek re-election when his term of office expires in 2021. Under the current provision, President Museveni who was born in 1944 would not be eligible to contest for the presidency after more than 30 years in power.
In anticipation of the move, almost all legislators turned up for the sitting unusually filling the house to capacity. Nakawa Division MP Micheal Kabaziguruka, who has been bedridden after a nasty accident a few months ago, equally showed up in an ambulance and was supported into the chambers to attend what had been dubbed as a historical sitting.
However, the item is missing on the order paper hitting a blow to proponents of the amendment. According to the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, He had a meeting with the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga and decided that they needed more time to understand the motion.
Oulanyah says they couldn't allow a matter for debate in Parliament to be sneaked outside the specified procedures adding that at an appropriate time MPs will be informed in time to allow them to fully prepare and debate.
Cue in: "Smuggling in anything…
Cue out:… to the gym"//
The sitting today will instead receive statements from ministers on the sale of plots of land in Namanve Industrial Park, the disease attack on Eucalyptus plantations in Kyenjojo and neighboring districts, to be followed by Prime Minister's question time.
Earlier this week, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah, said that parliament would debate the motion together saying he received a notice from a Member of Parliament requesting to present the motion to the house to make some recommendations to Government on the presidential age limit.
Several opponents of the proposed amendment had threatened violence over the matter, prompting demonstrations all over the city and deployment around parliament.
The hullabaloo was stirred by a resolution of members of the National Resistance Movement-NRM caucus endorsing a proposal to repeal article 102 (b) of the constitution to lift the cap on the presidential age limit.The NRM has more than 303 members in the assembly comprising of 431 legislators.
Olive Nakatudde
Alex Otto
Freelancer
