By; Francis Lubega
Foreign Envoys to Uganda have questioned the delayed delivery of a judgment on the consolidated petition challenging the amendment of the Constitution to remove the presidential age limit.
The ambassadors were today meeting the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga to discuss trends in Uganda’s Democracy and Good Governance. This is the second Ambassadors meeting with Kadaga following an earlier meeting in December 2016.
The delegation comprising of the Germany Ambassador Dr Albrecht Conze, the United States Ambassador Deborah Malac, Franch Ambassador Stéphanie Rivoal, Peter West, the British High Commissioner, Swedish Ambassador Per Lindgarde, Japanese Ambassador Kazuaki Kameda, Norwegian Ambassador Susan Eckey, and the Italian Ambassador Domenico Fornara, among others.
Similar to a letter written last week by City Lawyer James Byamukama to the Chief Justice Bart Katureebe, the Ambassadors demanded the immediate delivery of the judgment on the consolidated ‘Age Limit’ petition.
They observed that two months since the hearing of the matter at the Mbale High Court was concluded, the judgment should be delivered.
Ambassador Conze cited Article 137(7) of the Constitution of the Constitution and Rule 10 of the Constitutional Petitions & References Rules, which require judgment on Constitutional petitions to be delivered in 60 working days.
The Constitution Amendment Bill No.2 of 2017 came from a Private Member’s Bill tabled by Igara West MP, Raphael Magyezi. It lifted the presidential age limit and extended the term of office of parliaments, and Local governments from five to seven years and reintroduced presidential term limits that had been removed in 2005.
Reacting to a concern by the Ambassadors on the delayed decision on the matter, Speaker Kadaga said that it was not proper for her to comment on the matter currently before the Judiciary. She also added to have effected changes to ensure that the December 2017 raid on parliament does not happen again.
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