7-year term smuggled into age limit report - Kadaga

Kampala- Speaker Rebecca Kadaga has said the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, which she tasked with scrutinising a report on the “presidential age limit Bill”, overstepped its mandate and smuggled in a provision for extension of the term of the president and Parliament from five to seven years.

The committee also included a proposal for reinstatement of the presidential term limits.
Ms Kadaga said the proposals were not part of the committee’s terms of reference.

“In the report of the chair, there were two matters that were not originally part of the Bill. That is, the issue of the term limits [for a president]…,”Ms Kadaga said.

“There was the issue of addressing the tenure of the president. It was also not part of the Bill. There was also the issue of adjusting the term of Parliament.

She asked the committee chairperson, Mr Jacob Oboth, to explain how the recommendations in question came into the report.

“When we give responsibility to a committee, like this Bill, we expect them to address the Bill and not to go into extraneous matters. I would like to know from the chairperson: the recommendations you made to whom are they addressed and how did they come to be part of the report?” Ms Kadaga asked.

Mr Oboth said the committee received the proposals from the constituency consultations.
He said Prof Fredrick Ssempebwa had made a persuasive argument that presidential term limits would guard against tyranny.

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“[When] Prof Ssempebwa appeared before us, he made a persuasive submission that the issue of age limit in most democracies would not be an issue at all,” Mr Oboth said.

“But term limits would guarantee Ugandans and protect them against tyranny,” he added.

He claimed it was Prof Venansius Baryamureeba, the former vice chancellor of Makerere University, who suggested that besides restoring presidential term limits, each term should last eight years.

Mr Medard Sseggona (Busiro East MP) and Ms Monicah Amoding (Kumi District Woman MP) disagreed.
Mr Sseggona said there was no view submitted to the committee regarding a seven-year term for Parliament or president.

He said during the committee’s retreat in Wakiso District, Bukooli North MP Gaster Kyawa Mugoya broached the issue of extension of terms.

“The issue of reinstatement of term limits came in from Hamson Obua and we all supported it. Our argument was that the term for [extension of] the presidency is a matter for a referendum,” Mr Sseggona said. His view was corroborated by Ms Amoding.

“... On no day did we receive a proposal to the effect that as Parliament, we extend our term to seven years,” Ms Amoding submitted.

The Deputy Attorney General, Mr Mwesigwa Rukutana, said the report does not recommend the extension of term of the current Parliament.

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