Parliament gets order to expel rebel MPs

By Andante Okanya

Parliament has received a Constitutional Court decree instructing the Speaker of Parliament and her deputy to effect the landmark court ruling barring the four MPs expelled by their party from accessing the House.

The February 24 decree bears the official seal of the court. It is signed by the court’s registrar, Deo Nizeyimana, instructing Rebecca Kadaga and her deputy, Jacob Oulanyah, to heed.

Parliament spokesperson Helen Kawesa told New Vision that the document would be studied and appropriate action taken. The quartet are Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga), Muhammad Nsereko (Kampala Central), Wilfred Niwagaba (Ndorwa East) and Barnabas Tinkasiimire (Buyaga).

On Friday, the justices, in a four-against-one decision, ordered the MPs to immediately vacate their seats in Parliament.

The justices’ decision was premised on the basis that their expulsion from the NRM party in May last year implied that they automatically lost their seats in the House.

The NRM sacked the quartet over indiscipline and contravening party rules. Subsequently, the party asked Kadaga to declare the seats vacant. However, Kadaga declined the party’s request, saying the 1995 Constitution does not prescribe the declaration of a seat vacant in the event that an MP is expelled from a party.

In a related development, the affected MPs filed an appeal at the Supreme Court. The court is expected to first hear an application to temporarily block the Speaker of Parliament from implementing the Constitutional Court order, pending the final determination of their main appeal