By Vision Reporter
THE United Kingdom Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Benn, has told the British Parliament that Ugandans should decide on presidential term limits.
Benn was on Thursday answering a question in the House of Commons from MP Mark Simmonds (Conservative Party for Boston & Skegness), on his policy on the level of UK development assistance to Uganda, in the event of a change in the Ugandan Constitution to enable President Yoweri Museveni serve a third term.
He said, “The issue of lifting the limit on presidential tenure, like other proposed changes to the constitution, is for Ugandans to decide. We trust the process for doing this will carry the confidence of the Ugandan people and Parliament.
“The UK has set aside £70m of development assistance for Uganda in 2005-06, £50 million of this has been allocated to Poverty Reduction Budget Support (PRBS). Our PRBS agreement with the Government links disbursement to criteria on macro-economic and sector performance and governance. All the criteria that determine disbursement levels are taken from the commitments in the Government of Uganda’s own Poverty Eradication Action Plan and are designed to ensure our support is transparent and predictable,” he said.
He also said a decision on the level of disbursement for 2005-06 will be taken in September, basing on the agreed performance indicators, including the overall transition process leading up to elections in March 2006.
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