Kadaga, Muntu hold closed-door meeting

The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga held a closed-door meeting with the former Army Commander, Maj Gen Mugisha Muntu, and top leadership of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT).

The meeting that was also attended by Jinja East Member of Parliament (MP) Paul Mwiru, happened in the Speaker’s Chambers at Parliament yesterday.

Journalists were not allowed to attend the meeting.
But, speaking shortly after the meeting, Gen Muntu, the presidential flag bearer for ANT, and the party’s acting national coordinator, Ms Alice Alaso, said their meeting was only a courtesy call.

“It was a courtesy call on the Speaker but also to announce ourselves as a political party that is now represented in Parliament. We thought it would be important for her to know the party that is behind three MPs representing the Alliance,” Ms Alaso said.

Background
Recently, three MPs crossed to the party. They include Gerald Karuhanga (Ntungamo Municipality), Paul Mwiru of Jinja East, and Mr Kassiano Wadri of Arua Municipality.
Gen Muntu said he had accompanied the party leadership.
“We came to introduce ourselves and also brief the Speaker about our status as a party but also to give her some of the things we want done,” he said.

However, the Speaker’s personal press secretary, Mr Sam Obbo, in a memo to the press, said one of the issues was that of “Membership to the Inter-Party Organisation for Dialogue (IPOD) in light of three MPs joining ANT.’

“Speaker Kadaga said she was going to consult widely, especially on the issue of IPOD and MPs that have switched allegiance,” Mr Obbo stated.
He added: “The law allows any MP to cross to any party of choice during the last six months of Parliament’s tenure.”

Mr Obbo also said the stakeholders to be consulted include Parliament’s Legal Department and the Uganda Law Society, among others.

Delegates conference
Both Ms Alaso and Gen Muntu told Daily Monitor that they are disappointed by the delay of the Electoral Commission to clear the party’s National Delegates Conference slated for Thursday.

Gen Muntu said three letters have been written to the Electoral Commission since July but no response has been given, something that leaves the party in dilemma.

“We hope that by the end of Wednesday they will have replied and cleared our conference,” Ms Alaso said. She said the delay has left the party in a difficult position because they cannot procure venue and other amenities required.

The delegates’ conference is expected to confirm Gen Muntu’s candidature and also appoint a new interim national coordinator.

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