Age limit: NRM MPs blocked from leaving country, Kampala
- Written by Sadab Kitatta Kaaya
The ruling party, National Resistance Movement (NRM) has blocked its members from leaving the country and Kampala city until after the age limit bill has been passed in Parliament.
The largely unpopular bill seeks to have Article 102(b) of the Constitution scrapped, thereby dropping the 35-75 age limits for presidential aspirants. President Yoweri Museveni is 73 and would not qualify to run in 2021 if Article 102(b) stands.
The order not to travel out of the country was reportedly issued by President Museveni yesterday during the NRM caucus meeting. NRM needs 2/3 majority (291 MPs) in Parliament or about 66 per cent of the 436 lawmakers to pass the controversial age limit amendment bill.
"Every clause of that bill requires a quorum of 2/3 of all members so if we let them travel, we may fail to raise the quorum," Robina Nabbanja (Kakumiro woman), a Parliamentary commissioner and one of the key promoters of the bill told The Observer.
All MPs who had travelled have since been called back and security at Entebbe airport has been ordered to turn away any NRM MPs seeking to fly out of the country. According to Joseph Muyomba Kasozi, the NRM caucus general secretary, in the coming days, the MPs will also be stopped from going out of Kampala city.
"We want the bill passed before Christmas and if you let them go to their constituencies, we may fail to raise the number," Kasozi said.
Burahya County MP Margaret Muhanga also NRM parliamentary caucus spokesperson accused two NGOs, Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI) and Action Aid of funding NRM MPs out of the country so as to deny the party the 2/3 majority.
NRM MPs PAID
While the NRM caucus leadership denies giving any money to MPs to soften their stance against the bill, an MP from Buganda has confirmed being on the list of beneficiaries.
"I didn't go to Kololo last night but I am picking mine from the Government Chief Whip's office," the MP said.
The majority of the recipients are MPs thought to have changed their position on the bill due to pressure from their constituents.
Comments
It's tribal survival now & this is long overdue for Acholi, especially now that museveni holds every body by the ball & will never let go unless he is given ownership/full control of the entired zone legally-offic ially-constitutionally!
Which court of law any where in the world will listen to Ugandans when they are the ones who shall have handed over their country to museveni?
Either:
- Unity or Tribal States & NOW, because museveni is not playing as we are!
They need 2/3rds of all voting MP to win. This travel-ban makes no sense, if the opposition already has the numbers to defeat the bill anyway.
These guys will go to any length to enforce their evil will on the peasants of Uganda and for who but themselves and the foreign businessmen (money sponsors) who stand to gain from the status quo.
Alerting the airport security- flouting human right of individual freedom of movement - to prevent MPs from travelling shall not change anything if the voting is held in confidence and not by show of hands.
I bet the NRM is in for a big surprise and what will they do next if they lose. Will this be the end of the rigmarole? Watch this space!
Those who ate Museveni`s cash should have no where to run to eccept towards the garden of blood -like Yuda Iscaiot.
If I were Museveni , I would not just stop them from running away , I would load them into busses , take them to Luzira maximum and only drive them back to vote for me.
Luzira would not cost much because they are already wearing the yellow uniform.
Allah , this man is really addicted !
Obvious, isn't t? The "Travel" was the escape option for those who have received the NRM bribe while intending to flee from their voting obligations.
Now they have lost that option too.
I presume that the NRM will also ban the death of the relatives of NRM's MPs before the bill is voted.
Shame!
The real leopard is now displaying his true characters and tenets to his blind NRM followers.
This leopard ONLY cares about himself and family.