Age Limit: committee to meet Museveni today

The Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee is set to meet President Museveni on Tuesday over the The Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2017, which seeks to scrap the presidential age limit.

The Committee resolved to consult Museveni as one of the people in support of the proposed amendment.

The Igara West MP, Raphael Magyezi tabled the bill as a private member’s bill. The bill seeks to scrap the presidential age limit cap, which restricts the president’s age to between 35 and 75 years.

The Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee has drafted a list of 29 legislators to visit Museveni at State House Entebbe on 3pm on Tuesday.

The Committee Chairperson, Jacob Oboth Oboth, said they intend to ask Museveni tough questions on the proposed amendment.

He explained that several people interviewed by the Committee pointed to Museveni as the sole beneficiary of the bill.

He said they will ask him in regards to his earlier statements made in the press about contesting again for the presidency.

“You are aware several reports quote the President as having said he will not contest again. So we need to ask him whether those statements are true and it is actually him who made them, and whether he has changed his mind and why? “Oboth Oboth said.

He explained that they expect to hold a very formal meeting with the president, with the arm of building a report without any bias.

“It’s only that the rules don’t allow us to host the speaker, the president and the chief justice here at parliament, that’s why we are going to them but everything will almost be the same,” he said.

Medard Lubega Ssegona, the Busiro East County MP said he doesn’t see the need to consult the president since people already know his views because he is the sole beneficiary of the proposed amendment.

“We know what he has been saying especially in relation to the bill and with that the committee shouldn’t be wasting its time and resources in visiting the president,” he said.

Although the committee has generally been seeking the views of the stakeholders in regards to amending the Presidential age limit, and interrogating them, some MPs think President Museveni is most likely to take charge of the meeting.

Robinah Rwakoojo, the committee vice chairperson, said talks had been ongoing to consult the president.

“All members agreed that we should meet the president since he is a stakeholder. He will not be asking anything different, but this time we are going to him and because he is the president, so many things will be handled differently” Rwakoojo stated.

Recently, the committee cancelled plans to hold regional consultations citing inadequate funding.