The Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister, Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire on Tuesday afternoon moved to convince the Legal and parliamentary affairs committee, moments after his party colleague and Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi had also stormed out.
After declining to sign a document he presented to the committee, Hon Oboth ruled that the Minister of Justice leaves and comes back another day.
Earlier, Hon. Magyezi angrily moved out after opposition MPS led by Kira Municipality legislator Ibrahim Semujju Nganda and Kumi Woman MP Monica Amoding got up from her seat and switched off the microphone,
Magyezi was trying to take an oath, but hardly had he started submission than anti age limit MPS accused him of not knowing what was contained in the documents he was floating, and that the documents were forged.
Magyezi annoyed by Hon. Amonding’s actions which prompted the bill mover and the seconds Jinja West MP, Moses Grace Balyeku and Kyaaka County legislator Jackson Kafuzi to storm out of the committee.
“A pregnant woman who was about to deliver has run away from the labor ward,” said Lubaga South Member of Parliament Moses Kasibante referring to Hon. Magyezi.
Veteran comedian Bush Aienobyona (Vicks Kingo) in the morning also interrupted the committee session claiming he was invited.
After the Magyezi and Otafire debacles, Ms. Zaminah Malole of Equal Opportunities Commission advised a constitution review commission should be set up for every Ugandan to have a say on age limit issue.
HOW IT ALL UNFOLDED
10:00am — The first public hearing called by the legal committee kicked off with the opposition whip Semujju Nganda raising doubts regarding the impartiality of the chairman Jacob Oboth-Oboth. While raising a procedural matter Semujju noted that Jacob Oboth Oboth had met the president on the 13th of October and also attended the NRM party caucus that endorsed the bill. He noted that this created worries about whether or not he had been compromised.
10:20am – Hon. Semujju was also concerned about sitting in a room that he alleged had been used by the SFC as a camping area during the infamous raid on the chamber on the 27th of September. He claimed he did not feel safe. This claim was supported by Ndorwa west mp Wilfred Niwagaba. He moved a motion to have today’s proceedings suspended until a proper venue is found.
11:00am – MP Oboth retorted by noting that he has never met the president and stated that his track record speaks for itself. He added that he has never been the subject of an investigation on matters of personal integrity.
11:20 am — He further stated that during his interactions with MPs on both sides of the political divide he had achieved a center of neutrality.
11:28 am — Oboth ruled that he would guarantee the safety of all members present in the committee but could not secure another venue as moved by Semujju.
11:36 am – Oboth’s ruling on remaining in the conference hall was objected to by several members including Abdu Katuntu who stated that the matter should not be swept aside.
11:58 am — MPs shift from conference hall to south committee room after the chairman bows to pressure from MPs who claimed they felt uncomfortable in the conference hall.
11:5 am – They alleged that the conference hall had been used as a staging area for the SFC and a torture chamber for some MPs during the violent raid on Parliament.
12:15 pm — MPs like Monica Amoding, Semujju Nganda and Veronica Bikyetero call for proceedings to be suspended today while the committee irons out internal matters. Oboth is insistent that the committee proceeds with listening to Magyezi and says those who are not ready should excuse themselves.
12:30 pm — On the insistence of the MPs the chairman has suspended the public hearing with Magyezi until 2:00pm.
12:32 pm — MPs are now proceeding with a closed door meeting to sort out procedural and administrative matters as requested by a section of committee members.
12:33 pm — Some members like Semujju say they were excluded from committee planning meetings and therefore cannot proceed with public hearings until matters on how to handle the bull are resolved.
3:29 pm — The MPs on the legal committee opposed to the age limit bill have raised queries regarding the process under which the bill was processed and sent to the committee.
10 3:29 pm –The opposition whip Semujju Nganda and Abdu Katuntu have raised concerns about the legality of the bill by questioning why the bill was published in the gazette and a certificate of financial implication obtained on the same day Raphael Magyezi sought permission to draft a bill.
3:29 pm — Semujju claims the committee cannot go ahead to scrutinize a bill that is illegally before the committee.
3:29 pm — Magyezi denied the accusations saying he got the bill published and obtained a certificate of financial implication a day after he received permission, he displayed the certificate before the committee.
3:29 pm — The chairperson of the committee Jacob Oboth Oboth ruled that since the documents had been presented by the mover of the bill the committee should go ahead with consideration of the bill until they meet with the minister of finance and the clerk to Parliament responsible for printing the bill and gazetting it.
3:29 pm — The committee had reconvened at 2:30am following a suspension of proceedings that were meant to kickoff at 10am
3:29 pm — MPs opposed to the bill raised various procedural matters in the morning that led to a lengthy period of bickering between MPs on how to proceed with the bill.
3:29 pm — The MPs opposed to the bill have called for Magyezi to take oath before the committee following arguments regarding the authenticity of the documents presented by Magyezi
3:29 pm — And disagreements over the dates on which Magyezi sought leave and had the bill gazetted.
3:29 pm — 9 MPs voted to have Magyezi take oath before the committee with 5 against the motion. Magyezi subsequently took oath and thereafter laid the documents afresh before the committee both the certificate and the gazetted bill.
As narrated by SanyuFM’s Vincent Kasozi
