Independent MPs at NRM retreat risk losing seats

By Henry Sekanjako

ARUU county MP Odonga Otto has said he is suing independent MPs who attended the ongoing National Resistance Movement (NRM) MPs retreat in Kyankwanzi leadership institute.

Otto (FDC) who has the support of other opposition MPs yesterday told Journalists that he was dragging to court all independents MPs currently at Kyankwanzi to have their seats declared vacant.

“I will definitely take on this task. Whoever is an independent and is in Kyankwanzi should know that we are dragging them to court the high court. High court ruled that any MP who behaves that way should lose their seat,” he said.

He added that he would next week file an application to the High Court as soon as he establishes the right number of all independent MPs that attended the retreat.

Serere County MP Stephen Ochola (FDC) said that it was not right for the independents to attend the retreat which he says was purely an NRM retreat.

“These independents are not NRM and even in parliament they have a special sitting arrangement  which means they are not NRM, what is happening in Kyankwanzi should have been left to NRM not for independents ,” he said.

Ochola added that “some independents behave like they are NRM; we have seen them in parliament. I would like to know those that went and they tell me what their conscious tells them”.

He noted the independents made a wrong decision to go to Kyankwanzi and mix with NRM MPs when parliament was headed for controversial resolutions such as the censure motion against ministers accused of receiving oil bribes.

“The retreat was called because the situation was bad in parliament, so they are likely to be compromised to support the government side,” he added.

Soroti woman Mp Angelline Osegge (FDC) said that the independents had breached both the Constitution and laws of Uganda by choosing to go to Kyankwanzi.

“It is wrong they are not following any particular law to do this and neither have they signed a memorandum of understanding with government. Being an independent is being independent of mind but the kind of independents we have in this parliament are independents by circumstance,” she said.

Osegge added that this act by the independents was betrayal to their electorate saying the NRM meeting was going to influence everything they do in parliament.

“I would not think its proper for independents to attend such a meeting. How independent will they be after they have been indoctrinated in the NRM way? If the president has decided to call NRM let it be only NRM if all of us then we can all be there,” she noted.

A total of about 260 MPs including NRM, ex-officials and independents on Sunday last week left for Kyankwanzi to find a solution to the current economic crisis and unemployment among other issues affecting country.

Late last year towards the general elections, 70 MPs lost their seats after the constitutional court ruled that the MPs vacate their seats if they choose to join other parties different from those to which they were elected to parliament.