MPs Disagree On Removal Of Army Representatives From Parliament

The Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee members have asked parliament to reject a proposal by the Opposition to remove the army from being represented in parliament.

The army is among the special interest groups currently represented in Parliament. The others are youth, workers and persons with disabilities.

In his Constitutional (Amendment) Bill, 2019, the Shadow Attorney General Wilfred Niwagaba proposed the removal of army representatives from parliament.

In its justification, the committee chaired by West Budama South MP Jacob Oboth says that the proposal to remove army representatives from parliament may be challenged for infringing the procedure prescribed in Article 78(2) of the Constitution.

The MPs say that whereas the Constitution allows for the removal of special interest groups from parliament, including the army, it is their observation that such removal of any special interest group has to be in accordance with the procedure laid out in the Constitution.

The Committee report comes just after days parliament confirmed the continued existence of army representation and other special interest groups in parliament for the next five years.