Parliament fails to grant leave to Niwagaba to present opposition electoral reforms bill

Parliament in a heated debate temporarily failed to grant leave to the Ndorwa East legislator Wilfred Niwagaba to enact a private members bill dubbed the Constitutional amendment bill 2019 pending the ruling from the speaker on the point of procedure raised by the Deputy Attorney General Mwesigwa Rukutana.

Mwesigwa Rukutana said allowing such a bill will be contrary to the Parliamentary resolutions that all amendments should await the establishment of the Constitutional review commission which establishment is in its advanced stages

The Thursday Parliamentary sitting chaired by the Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah started with Niwagaba asking Parliament to grant him leave to enact a private members bill dubbed the constitutional amendment bill 2019.

He said there is need to have a comprehensive constitutional amendment that will provide proper democracy, good governance and a free and fair elections.

In his motion, the bill intends reinstate the presidential terms limits, increase on the number of commissioners at the electoral commission and involvement of civil servants in campaigns.

The bill also intends to control the presidential donations during times of campaigns, the role of the army in politics and how a transition can be managed in case the current president loses an election among others.

But Niwagaba hit a a dead lock after Rukutana raised a point of procedure arguing that allowing such a bill will be contrary to the parliamentary resolutions to the effect that all amendments should await the establishment of the Constitutional Review Commission.

Rukutana also argued that the bill has some financial implications since there is need to increase the number of commissioners of the electoral commission something that generated a heated debate amongst legislators