By Ronaldo Kalangi
Kampala, Uganda: The minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs Gen. Kahinda Otafiire has cautioned warned Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga to stop pushing Government to table electoral reforms before the 2021 general elections.
Otafiire made these remarks while speaking from his home district Mitooma, in greater Bushenyi, over the weekend. He revealed that government has information that there are some external forces with ill intentions that are funding some Nongovernmental Organisations (NGOs) in Uganda to put the Speaker on tenterhooks to pressure the executive to bring electoral reforms, which he said are not the gist of the matter on the agenda. Otafiire said that “We can’t just table such electoral reforms as if our Government has no important matters to work on now. Secondly, such reforms need consultation. We can’t just table them in parliament and pass them in one day like that. That will be a half-baked law.” Recently civil society organisations wrote to President Yoweri Museveni reminding him of electoral reforms, which were some of recommendations from the Supreme Court during the 2016 presidential election petition by former premier Amama Mbabazi. Kadaga has been refuting allegations that Parliament has delayed the passing of the electoral reforms, saying that it is the role of the minister for Justice to table such a bill on the floor of parliament, not the Speaker.
Hon. Kadaga has of recent been urging he Executive to table the Electoral Reforms Bill so that it can be debated early and passed as the country prepares for the 2021 election. Kadaga last week told Parliament that
“I keep reminding Executive on such electoral bills so nobody should blame the parliament for any delays because it ’is not our responsibility to table them.” Kadaga added that electoral reforms will not only benefit the opposition but all different stakeholders who need changes in the laws for better governance and peaceful elections.
