AGE LIMIT: House committee discussions kick off

Magyezi appears before the legal Committee on Monday.

PARLIAMENT | AGE LIMIT DEBATE

The long-awaited Parliament debate on the age limit Bill starts today.

The legal and parliamentary affairs committee chairman, Jacob Oboth, said they would start public hearings on the committee today.

According to the programme, the committee will today get presentations from the architect of the Bill, Raphael Magyezi, the constitutional affairs ministry and Equal Opportunities Commission.

Chronology of events
-On September 12, 2017, a section of NRM MPs, who included some ministers, met in Parliament conference hall and passed a resolution to present a private member's Bill to remove the presidential age limit.

-On the same day, the meeting coincided with processions of taxi drivers and bodaboda cyclists carrying placards on the streets of Kampala to express their support for the move to remove the presidential age limit.

-The cabinet meeting that was held on September 15, resolved to support efforts by the NRM MPs who were driving the agenda of removing the presidential age limit.

-On September 20, 2017, the NRM caucus which was chaired by Ruth Nankabirwa in the absence of President Yoweri Museveni, who was out of the country, passed a resolution to support magyezi's motion and Bill for removing the presidential age limit.

-On September 21, 2017 when the motion for removal of the age limit was first thought to be presented, Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah was forced to suspend the house prematurely when MPs opposed to the move became rowdy as they protested the heavy military deployment at parliament.

-MPs opposed to the Bill celebrated the flop by putting red ribbons around their heads for the first time.

-On September 26, with heavy deployment around Parliament, MPs opposed to the Bill once again blocked presentation of the motion when they resorted to singing the national anthem continuously until the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga was forced to suspend Parliament, but after writing the names of some MPs who were involved in the commotion.

-The most memorable so far is the Parliament sitting on September 27, during which unprecedented chaos in the chambers of Uganda Parliament was witnessed. This was after Kadaga had suspended 25 MPs over disruptions made the previous day and asked them to leave, but they refused.

-A few minutes later, security officers said to be members of the Special Forces Command, entered the chambers and forcefully removed the suspended MPs amid resistance and physical fighting, which left many injured.

-On Septmber 28, Kadaga allowed Raphael Magyezi to present his motion in the absence of all the Opposition MPs, who were in solidarity with their suspended colleagues.

-On October 13, 2017, President Yoweri Museveni, for the first time, declared his support for the Bill that seeks to remove the presidential age limit in an NRM caucus meeting, Where NRM MPs opposed to the Bill were thrown out.