Stage managing consultation meetings
A senior official from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, Ms. Rebecca Nalwanga accused some of members of her party of stage managing consultation meetings by only picking a few individuals to consult. Ms. Nalwanga, who is also the secretary-general of the NRM in Luweero district, explained that some of the members of parliament are holding the consultation meetings in bars where the public cannot gain access, yet these meetings are meant for the general public. Ms. Nalwanga called these members of parliament selfish and accused them of trying to hoodwink the president into believing that the majority of people are for the amendment of the constitution to remove the presidential age limits.
Prime Minster cautions those speaking against the removal of the age limits
Prime Minister of Uganda Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda warned Uganda’s religious leaders against talking about the removal of age limits. The prime minister is part of a group of emissaries sent around the country by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party to convince people to support the removal of age limits. He made these remarks while in Kanungu District addressing the NRM party leaders there. “Religious leaders should go slow on the words they say about the age limit bill. We have capacity to shut them down,” the prime minister said. “Statements by some religious leaders about age limit amendment divert people and creates confusion.” He also accused the religious leaders of foregoing their roles of preaching about peace and love to the citizens and resorting to condemning those in favour of the proposed removal of age limit.
The prime minster also used that opportunity to caution Rubanda West County MP Denis Sabiiti for going against the party stand and convincing people to reject the constitutional amendment. He directed the district party leadership to take appropriate action and discipline Sabiiti.
Protests against members of parliament
In a bid to get people to support the amendment of the presidential age limit, the ruling party sent members of its Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the NRM to various regions of Uganda to meet with the party leaders. Many CEC members were faced with protests by the NRM leaders in the various regions. Hajji Abdul Nadduli experienced walk outs in Buvuma, and the police had to save him from an angry mob while he was in Mukono district. Dominic Gidudu, who went to the Sebei region, was met with the same fate and the NRM leaders rejected the facilitation hand out of shs. 30,000.
MPs arrested for inciting violence
Members of Parliament James Acidri and Denis Lee Oguzu of Maracha East County and Maracha County respectively were arrested and detained on Saturday by police in Arua district over inciting violence and attacking the personality of the president during their consultation meetings. The regional police commander of West Nile Jonathan Musinguzi said Hon. Oguzu paid boda-boda cyclists to disrupt the consultations of Minister Onzia while Hon. Acidri shared a video of the late Brig. Gad Wilson Toko and told the people attending his consultation meeting that the deceased army man was the one who authored peace in the West Nile region.
