Could Uganda Lose Commonwealth Hosting?

Kyanjo, MP who represents Makindye West in Uganda’s parliament: “The rule of law in Uganda has suffered so much recently under the Yoweri Museveni Presidency. He is using the majority his party (the National Resistance Movement) has in parliament to violate fundamental rights of the people of Uganda by subduing them,� Kyanjo said.

 

Commonwealth countries are having a second thought as to whether they were right
to give Uganda a chance to host this year’s Commonwealth Heads of State and
Government summit (CHOGM). 

Recent events in Uganda, especially the strike by all law courts in the country
following a decision by Yoweri Museveni’s government to re-arrest political opponents freed on bail by the High Court, has led some to wonder whether this year’s CHOGM meeting will be held at all in Uganda.

Already there have been accommodation problems in connection with the building of hotels to host the CHOGM delegates and many of them remain incomplete, with the summit due in November. As if that was not enough, there is a big question mark over the violation of the rule of law in Uganda.

In the wake of a visit by Democratic Party members of parliament to London last
week, another batch of six opposition Members of Parliament arrived in London
Saturday at the invitation of the Commonwealth parliamentary Association, UK
branch.

They include three members from the main opposition Forum for Democratic
Change (FDC) led by Betty Kamya, one from the Uganda Peoples Congress, Jimmy
Akena, son of the former Uganda President Milton Obote, Hussein Kyanjo of the
Justice Forum Party and John Kawanga of the Democratic Party.

In an interview with Black Star News, Kyanjo said they are in London for a
series of meeting with senior British parliamentarians. Amon those they are
scheduled to meet will be House of Commons speaker Michael Martin.

Kyanjo who represents Makindye West in Uganda’s parliament said the main
purpose of the visit is to promote parliamentary democracy in developing world.

“But we will use this visit to address a various number of issues of great
importance to Ugandan,” he added. Among these was what he said was a continuing
violation of the rule of law and order by the Ugandan leadership. “The rule of
law in Uganda has suffered so much recently under the Yoweri Museveni
presidency. He is using the majority his party (the National Resistance
Movement) has in parliament to violate fundamental rights of the people of
Uganda by subduing them,” Kyanjo said.

He reiterated what other opposition parliamentarians said here last week with
regards to the use of state funds. “The NRM is using state funds to run its
business and making it hard for parliamentary democracy to run smoothly.”

Commenting on the recent strike by judges in Uganda, Kyanjo said the
violation of Uganda law courts has become such a serious issue that some members
of NRM parliamentarians are joining hands with the opposition to condemn what is
going on.

Last week President Museveni intervened in an attempt by Ugandan parliamentarians to censor the government over the way it was treating decisions by Uganda courts. This happened during an NRM Parliamentary Caucus discussing the High Court invasion that had provoked a nationwide strike by the judges.

After the President’s intervention, a draft report to discuss the Judge’s
strike was subsequently removed from the order paper.

 


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