The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
THIS WEEK: Kadaga still waiting for Museveni’s response on clobbered MPs
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Speaker Rebecca Kadaga has revealed that she has not yet received feedback from the president regarding unknown persons who attacked parliament and beat up MPs.
While speaking at a function attended by legislators opposed to the constitutional amendment bill seeking to lift presidential age limits last week, Kadaga said her role was to protect all members in parliament irrespective of their party allegiance.
Last month amidst criticism especially on social media about how she handled the issue, the speaker wrote to president Museveni asking him to explain the identity and the mission of unknown people who attacked parliament on Sept. 27 when MPs had converged to among others deliberate on an anticipated motion to introduce the popular age limit bill.
In the letter copied to the Prime Minister, Inspector General of Police and Minister for Internal Affairs, Kadaga who says she hadn’t asked for any support asks the president to explain why members of parliament were arrested, transported in police vans and confined at various police stations yet it’s only the sergeant at arms or parliamentary police supposed to handle security issues within parliament.
However, to date, some MPs still battle the effects of the September 27 fracas that ensued after members opposing removal of presidential age limit were suspended by the speaker but refused to leave the house.
Mukono MP Betty Nambooze and Francis Zaake have been referred abroad for further treatment for severe spine injury and head injury respectively.
The reply might never come after all. We have been told time and again that it is a done deal given the bloated number of NRM psycophants in and out of parliament. Moreover even the numbers have been corruptly obtained through manipulation of unsuspecting Ugandans by chopping up constituencies where there was no support and districts to get more women MPs.
However the danger still looms large that true to our established tradition change of leadership at presidency must be violent. Life presidency, even for Amin who bestowed it upon himself, has not been and will most definitely never be accepted in Uganda. Any method by which it comes is immaterial. Kadaga’s and company stand to suffer irreparable damage for their roles in facilitating project life president in Uganda.