Constitutionalism: Youth collect rally to recall MP

Andrew Gulumaire & Emmanuel Mulondo

IN SUMMARY: Twisted priorities? The group say instead of fighting poverty and unemployment in eastern Uganda, the MP is drumming support for a fifth term for President.
..............................

A group of youths from Jinja and Iganga districts have started collecting signatures to recall Eastern Region MP Peter Ogwanga from Parliament.

Led by Mr Jimmy Kitamirike from Jinja, the youths accuse the MP of lobbying for personal interest and failing to address their problems.

“It is in our interest that we relieve him of the parliamentary seat to give him ample time to traverse the country drumming up for President Museveni’s continued stay in power,” Mr Kitamirike said.

Mr Sospeter Nyende, the group’s secretary, said so far, 300 signatures had been collected within a week and that they intended to traverse the whole of eastern region.

“The moment we get a reasonable number of signatures, we shall present our petition to the Speaker of Parliament asking her to declare Eastern Youth MP’s seat vacant,” Mr Nyende, a youth leader from Namutumba district said. When contacted, MP Ogwanga declined to comment on the matter.

The youth accuse the MP of pursuing personal favours from the President and government instead of fronting the wider needs of his constituents.

5th term campaign

Two weeks ago, Mr Ogwanga convened a press conference at Parliament and announced he was kicking off a campaign for another term of office for President Museveni, four years ahead general polls.

     

Mr Ogwanga told journalists then that he was, however, being hounded by some people opposed to President Museveni. He later attended a district International Youth Day celebrations where President Museveni was chief guest but attempts to launch the Museveni 2016 bid fell into troubled waters as a group of Makerere university students demonstrated at the venue insisting that the event was not a political rally for the President.

The eastern youths said their aim is to ensure that poverty and unemployment in the sub-region are fought though the support of their area representative.

The youths said also say they want to have access to the Youth Entrepreneurship Funds and improve their livelihood. They have been holding meetings in Jinja to further their agenda, the latest of which was held on Wednesday.

“We have no problem with him asking for the fifth term for President Museveni but what hurts us is his wrong timing,” Mr John Wanyama, the youth secretary in Bugiri District asked.

“I personally belong to the ruling NRM and I would so much welcome the idea proposed by the legislator but he would have first consulted or informed us as his. This means that he is representing his personal ideas for opportunistic gains rather than the youths,” Mr Nyende said.

Source: Sunday Monitor (09/09/2012): http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Youth+collect+rally+to+recall+MP/-/688334/1500554/-/p38va5/-/index.html