MPs who opposed age limit entitled to attend meeting, says NRM legal boss

In a twist of events, the Director of legal services of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has advised against a move by the party’s secretariat to bar all MPs who voted against the removal of the Presidential age limit from attending the forthcoming national Delegates Conference at Namboole Stadium.

In a letter written to the NRM Secretary General, Justine Kasule Lumumba dated January 15, 2020, Mr Oscar John Kihika says that the 30 members that opposed the age limit bill are entitled to attend the conference by virtue of Article 11(2) (i) of the NRM party constitution.

“To the best of my knowledge, these MPs have thus far not been dismissed from the NRM. I advise that the said MPs should be allowed to attend the National Conference. Arrangements should therefore be made to ensure that they attend just like all the other members that were invited by virtue of the notice,” Kihika says in the letter.

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This follows a pronouncement made by Lumumba on Tuesday during a press conference that NRM MPs “who did not move with the party during the Constitutional amendments will not be invited’’ and therefore are not expected to attend the national conference.

Lumumba said the decision was guidance from the party’s National Chairman who is President Yoweri Museveni.

She said the MPs will not be allowed to attend January 25, 2020 conference unless they are cleared by the party’s disciplinary committee.

Some of the MPs who resisted the party line on the constitutional amendment include Barnabas Tinkasimire (Buyaga West), Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga County), Patrick Nsamba (Kassanda North MP), John Baptist Nambeshe (Manjiya County), Sam Lyomoki (Workers), Monica Amoding (Kumi Woman Member), Louis Mbwatekamwa Gaffa (Kasambya County MP), Sylvia Rwabogo (Kabarole district Woman MP), Silvia Akello (Woman MP, Otuke District), Maurice Henry Kibalya (Bugabula south MP), Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga (Mukono County South), and Felix Okot Ogong (Dokolo County MP).

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