Expelled NRM MPs return to court

By Hillary Nsambu

The Constitutional Court is today expected to hear an application in which Saleh Kamba, the Kibuku MP, seeks to stop the four NRM “rebel MPs” from entering Parliament until the petition challenging the Speaker’s decision is decided.

Kamba and Marym Agasha, an NRM supporter, petitioned the Constitutional Court contending that Rebecca Kadaga, the Speaker of Parliament, breached the Constitution by refusing to dismiss them from Parliament since they had been sacked from the party.

The NRM party dismissed the four and asked the Speaker to throw them out.

The embattled MPs are Mohammad Nsereko, Barnabas Tinkasiimire, Wilfred Niwagaba and Theodore Ssekikubo.

The coram consists of Justice Stephen Kavuma, Justice Augustine Nshimye and Justice Remmy Kasule.

The petition is supported by affidavits sworn by President Yoweri Museveni, the NRM chairman and Amama Mbabazi, the secretary general.

Museveni said on April 14, the NRM central executive committee received a report and proceedings from party’s disciplinary committee, which had found that Ssekikubo, Niwagaba, Nsereko and Tinkasiimire had acted in a manner that contravened various provisions of the party’s constitution.

“I know that we were, thereby, deprived of our parliamentary seats and those four constituencies are not currently represented, yet the electorate preferred the petitioner’s (NRM) hitherto flag-bearers to represent them,” Museveni said.

He added that there is no way MPs, who were sponsored as candidates of NRM on the basis of the party’s manifesto can continue to represent their constituencies after being expelled from the party on whose ticket they were elected.