Government chief whip Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa is facing one of the biggest challenges ahead of Monday setting this Website has learnt.
According our well-placed source reveals that a number of lawmakers subscribing to the Ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) have threatened to shun voting in support of the controversial age limit bill once their installment amounting to over 200m is not sorted before the closure of the weekend.
Its further intimated that these MPs were promised to get a tune of Shs 300m which would come in installments to unconditionally support the removal of article 102b from the Uganda constitution a clause that denies president Museveni to run for another term of office beyond 75 years.
Ours sources further reveal that Nankabirwa quickly told them that the president was ready to support the extension of their term in parliament from five years to seven years something that will soon also be given a special treat separate from Age limit.
Age limit fate if the money is not given.
It should be noted that on Monday, Buyaga West Member of Parliament and Chairman for the Bunyoro Parliamentary Caucus, Hon. Barnabas Tinkasimire, described some ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) members of parliament as hypocrites and corrupt.
Tinkasimire added that the recent NRM meeting with the president, Ruth Nakabirwa, the government chief whip, tried to convince the members to pass the bill before getting their money but they refused.
“I have audio evidence when you people who are in support of this bill are getting money to sell your country,” Tinkasimire adds.
He also revealed that the NRM leaders in parliament are still in panic after realizing that the number they were with yesterday can’t enables them to pass the bill.
“They were only 260 members while the required number 2/3 is supposed to be 288 members so they were looking for the 16 members that’s why they decided to wet their beaks,” he revealed.
Kadaga on Tabling the Motion
Parliament will on Monday, December 18, receive the report on the controversial ‘age limit’ bill, Speaker Rebecca Kadaga has said.
While delivering her communication to parliament this afternoon, Kadaga reported that she had received both the main report and minority report from the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee which has been consulting on the Constitution (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, 2017.
She gave notice that Parliament will be convening on Monday at 9:00am so that both reports are tabled and for sufficient time for Members of Parliament to debate them.
Kadaga’s communication comes after long speculation and uncertainty whether or not the report on the proposed removal of presidential age limits will come up for discussion this week.
The Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee chaired by the West Budama South MP Jacob Oboth-Oboth was expected to table its report before parliament this week on the controversial Bill which was brought to Parliament by Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi.
The Committee is reported to have endorsed the proposal to amend Article 102(b) of the Constitution, which caps the presidential age between 35 and 75 years.
The proposed amendment requires approval of 290 of the 436 MPs at both its second and third reading for it to pass.
Members of the opposition and some from the ruling NRM party say the move is only meant to extend President Yoweri Museveni’s rule beyond 2021 when his current term of office expires. Born in 1944, Museveni will have ruled Uganda for 35 years at the end of his current term. But the constitution bars him from extending his rule beyond 2021 as he will be above 75 years of age.
