Uganda's opposition legislators to challenge age limit removal in court

The age limit constitutional amendment that was passed by Uganda’s parliament yesterday will be challenged in court.

Legislators who were opposed to the amendment have revealed that they will challenge the outcome of the parliamentary vote because the process of removing the age limit was fraudulent.

“We are going to challenge the process [in court]. We want to let Ugandans know that we played our part and now we are giving ball to the Ugandan in a new campaign K’ogikutteko,” the leader of opposition in Parliament, Winnie Kizza said while addressing journalists in Kampala.

The legislators say they warned the speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga about the illegality of the parliamentary process, but it was all in vain.

“We even warned Speaker Rebecca Kadaga that what the MPs were doing was illegal but she gave us a deaf ear and continued with process,” Kiiza added.

Uganda parliament scraps presidential age limit, Museveni could rule till 2037 https://t.co/WlSGOsX2Kv

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Before Parliament started to vote on the bill, two legislators were arresting as they tried to access parliament and serve the speaker with court summons. The court orders were in relation to a suit filed by the legislators who are also lawyers on the suspension of six opposition Mps during the age limit debate.

The legislators through their lawyers led by Erias Lukwago had petitioned the High Court civil division seeking prerogative orders to have them recalled back to parliament.

“The issue at hand(age limit debate) is key yet six constituencies are not represented when constitution is being altered. The issue in parliament is concerning the lives of Ugandans,”Lukwago said.

During the debate, legislators opposed to the amendment also questioned the wisdom of debating the bill, yet a pending petition for an injunction to halt the proceedings had been lodged before the East Africa Court of Justice.