For the second day straight, the floor of Uganda’s parliament witnessed chaotic scenes on Wednesday as legislators moved Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi’s motion around presidential age limits.
It was adopted at the end of Tuesday’s chaotic proceeding.
The motion has since been seconded paving the way for a private members’ bill on presidential age limit to pass.
The motion on Age Limit was seconded by MPs Moses Balyeku, Jackson Karugaba Kafuuzi and Doreen Amule. Only NRM MPs and NRM leaning independents were left in the chamber.
After 30 minutes, Parliament resumed after Speaker Rebecca Kadaga suspended 25 MPs for causing chaos and fighting during the Tuesday plenary.
“You know the rules of the house, if you refuse you are removed,” Kadaga said as MPs connected to the ruling NRM highly praised.
All MPs opposing the bill have moved out of Parliament in protest while others had already been thrown out by plain clothed soldiers.
A resolution was filed weeks back to allow a debate the removal of the presidential age limit currently pegged at 75. The debate was postponed last week amid heavy police deployment to parliament.
Now that it has been allowed, it could effectively mean a first step to allowing incumbent Yoweri Museveni contesting when next elections are due.
In 2005, a constitutional amendment was made removing two-term limit for the presidency to allow the president to run for a third-term which he won in February last year, even though opposition unsuccessfully contested the outcome.
73-year Museveni, will be two years older than the current age limit of 75 by the time Ugandans head back to the polls in 2021.
