Hearings on age limit begin Tuesday
Not amused. Mr Jacob Oboth, the chairperson of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee.
Kampala- Igara West Raphael Magyezi and the Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Kahinda Otafiire will today appear before the House Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs as public hearing on the Constitution Amendment Bill, 2017, aimed at scrapping presidential age limit gets underway.
The committee wants Mr Magyezi, who in September moved the motion seeking leave of the House to draft the Private Members’ Bill, to justify it.
Mr Otafiire, on the other hand, is expected to state the government’s position on the Bill.
The Equal Opportunities Commission, whose brief is to ensure that Bills address gender concerns, is also expected to appear before the committee today.
Mr Jacob Oboth, the chairperson of the committee, yesterday said next week, the committee will meet the Law Reform Commission, the Electoral Commission and the Uganda Law Society.
They will be followed by the Uganda Medical Association to speak to the issue of one’s mental health when they clock 75 years old.
The Bill seeks to amend Article 102(b) of the Constitution by expunging paragraph (b), which will in effect lift the upper age limit for presidential candidates.
If lifted, the Bill will make President Museveni, 73, eligible to stand in 2021.
The Bill also seeks to remove the 35-year-old cap for those contesting for district chairpersons’ seats.
Mr Museveni, who once said he would retire at 75 because at that age one lacks the vigour needed for the job – has since said he supports the lifting of the age limit.
He now argues that it is discriminatory, which is unconstitutional.
The Bill also seeks to amend Article 61 (1) of the Constitution to provide that the Electoral Commission shall conduct a general election within the first 30 days of the last 120 days before the expiry of the term of the office of the President.
The Bill proposes an amendment of Article 104 (2), (3) and (6) to provide that a petition challenging a presidential election shall be lodged in the Supreme Court registry within 15 days, up from 10 and that the Supreme Court will inquire into the matter not later than 45 days, up from 30.
