Kanungu leaders oppose plan to discipline MP
Joyous. Housing minister Chris Baryomunsi (left) and NRM Secretary General Kasule Lumumba (2nd left) at the opening of NRM offices in Kihihi Town Council, Kanungu District, at the weekend. PHOTO BY RAJAB MUKOMBOZI
What you need to know:
Background. Kinkizi West MP James Kaberuka voted against the Constitution Amendment Bill, 2017, despite being a member of the NRM party.
Leaders in Kanungu District have disagreed with plans by the ruling NRM party to discipline Kinkizi West MP James Kaberuka for voting against the lifting of the age limit in 2017.
NRM Secretary General Kasule Lumumba, while opening party offices in Kihihi Town Council, Kanungu District, at the weekend, said Mr Kaberuka will be subjected to disciplinary action for voting against NRM party decisions.
“As the NRM party, we made wider consultations of all party structures from villages and agreed to support the lifting of the age limit, but when we went back to Parliament, MP Kaberuka voted against what we had agreed on. He displayed prohibitive behaviour, which is against the party constitution and will have to face disciplinary action,” Ms Lumumba said.
However, several leaders in the district said Mr Kaberuka honestly presented their views.
Mr Frank Byaruhanga, the district NRM general secretary, said Mr Kaberuka did not do anything wrong because he implemented the Speaker of Parliament’s directive to consult his constituents. “What crime did he commit for expressing honest views of his people as directed by the Speaker? Subjecting MP Kaberuka to disciplinary action will be subjecting all the people of Kinkizi West to the same, which will not be good for the party whose foundation is built on democracy. As leaders here, we don’t support suppressing people’s views,” Mr Byaruhanga said.
Mr Zephar Mugisha, the LC3 chairperson of Kihihi Town Council, said they will mobilise residents to defend their MP at any forum convened to discipline him.
“We are putting this clear to the NRM party; we will not accept our MP to be humiliated and suppressed because of giving the views of his people. We will mobilise and face this committee as people of Kinkizi West and defend our views, not leaving him to be questioned alone,” Mr Mugisha said.
‘Blame the people’
Mr Keneth Tumuhamye, the LC2 chairperson of Kanyantorogo Sub-county, said residents disagreed with the lifting of the age limit and that the party should blame the people of Kinkizi West and not the MP.
Mr Kaberuka, who did not attend the meetings held by Ms Lumumba in his constituency at the weekend, said he will not yield to any kind of intimidation for representing views of his people.
