MPs opposed to presidential age limit removal shun Museveni meeting

PARLIAMENT: A section of MPs opposed to the amendment of Article 102 (b) of the Constitution have said they won't attend a meeting scheduled with President Museveni this afternoon at State House, Entebbe.
They include Masaka Municipality MP Mathias Mpuuga and Medard Segona as well as Kiira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda.

The MPs who addressed journalists at Parliament on Tuesday say the meeting between the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and President Museveni scheduled for this afternoon at State House, Entebbe is suspicious given its manner of execution.
“We would like to make it clear that we take serious exception to the illusion that Parliament has money to dish out to MPs but there is no money to carryout public consultations on the sensitive bill,” Mr Mpuuga said.

“We are here to advise the committee leadership to step on their brakes and whoever is rushing them to move a bit slow because they are about to hit a rock; they are sliding very fast behind the drain,” he added
The lawmakers, enjoined by others opposed to the Bill like Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Sekikubo contend that the meeting with Mr Museveni is a ritual.

Mr Sekikubo alleges that the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs is in possession of a fabricated report on the age bill.
“There is already a draft Bill. All these maneuvers are just intended to hoodwink the public,” he said.
Mr Sekikubo cautioned West Budama South MP Jacob Oboth-Oboth, the committee chairperson against being lured into sin.
The committee after meeting Mr Museveni on Tuesday afternoon at Entebbe State House will embark on closed door meetings to expedite the final report.

Meanwhile, Mr Segona has accused sections of his fellow legislators, of treachery.
Mr Segona says that some of his colleagues on the Committee are in a ploy to defraud the country, with each promised UShs300 million.
This fraud, Mr Segona says is in a form of conspiracy by high political office bearers in the country to arm twist Parliament through bribery and intimidation to allow the bill to pass.

“I want to appeal to my colleagues to desist from the tempting sums of money placed before them, for the good of this country,” Mr Segona said.
Earlier, MP Ssemujju intimated to Daily Monitor that he would rally his colleagues to boycott the Museveni meeting.
The legislators allege that the Committee chaired by Mr Oboth-Oboth swerved from its roadmap by not carrying out countrywide consultations.
Efforts to get a response from Oboth-Oboth are still futile as his known phone contacts were off by the time of filing this story.

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