The Uganda Police Force has given opposition Members of Parliament a go ahead to hold consultative meetings across the country on the Constitutional Amendment Bill on condition that they do not speak about removal of age limit.
The permission was granted after a meeting between police and representatives of the Forum for Democratic Change who included opposition Chief Whip Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda and the Shadow Minister of Internal Affairs Muwanga Kivumbi.
The Police management was represented by the Director Human Rights and Legal Services Erasmus Twaruhukwa, Director of Operations Asuman Mugyenyi and the Deputy Police spokesperson Polly Namaye.
According to Twaruhukwa, the meeting agreed that the MPs can go forward with their consultation as long as they remained in line with the proposed reason for the activities which is the amendment proposals to the land Act.
“It was agreed that the proposed consultative meetings should be on the Constitutional Amendment bill as per the letter of notice dated the 18th of July 2017 of AB.255/504/02 and that all the discussions will be centred on this agenda,” Twaruhukwa said.
Four days ago, the Opposition Chief Whip wrote to the Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura notifying him and seeking security for the intended consultative meetings in 48 different on the amendment proposals.
Ssemujju, who represents Kira Municipality in parliament, told local news agency URN that Twaruhukwa had instructed them not to mention anything on presidential age limit in the consultative meetings but they had disagreed with the condition.
“We told them that we cannot dictate what our voters will say in the consultative meetings and if anyone talks anything against the law then they should be held culpable. The condition had no legal basis,” Ssemujju said.
The deputy police spokesperson Polly Namaye, however, says that if the members of parliament discuss anything that is not part of the set agenda police will be forced to halt the consultative meetings.
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