Adjumani West County MP, General Moses Ali has Rejected Proposals to Kick Out Army (UPDF) MPs in Parliament.

Hon. Moses Ali, deputy Prime Minister, has rejected the proposal to kick UPDF MPs out of Parliament.

“If it’s army, I am a General. I cannot support the proposal to remove the Army representatives in Parliament,” Gen Ali said on Thursday.

He also opposed the proposal to abolish Resident District Commissioners (RDCs).

“The office of the RDC should not be removed, but rather we should remove individual RDCs who degrade the environment.”

He was supported by UPDF Chief Political Commissar Brig Gen Felix Kulayigye.

“The military is part of our body-politik. For us to sustain what we have achieved in this country, we cannot throw away what we struggled for. I therefore, state that the army should stay in Parliament,” Kulayigye told plenary.

“Looking at our history, army representation in Parliament is still necessary. For us to sustain what we have achieved in this country, we cannot throw away what we struggled for. I therefore, state that the army should stay in Parliament,” he added.

MPs disagree

Hon. Elizabeth Karungi challenged the existence of the army representatives in Parliament, yet the security officer continue to suffer.

She says many children and wives of the soldiers who have passed and have no support from the UPDF representatives.

The Leader of Opposition in Parliament Betty Aol Achan challenged MPs to put the interest of Ugandans first before anything else or anyone.

She reminded the MPs that the country is in the struggle to ensure the betterment of it’s citizens.

Aol later proposed that army officers who want to be MPs should resign from the UPDF as the other professionals do.

“We cannot have the army in this multiparty parliament.”

Hon Patrick Okabe pointed out: “We are soon going to have parliament as the command centre of the UPDF.”

He said the CDF Gen David Muhoozi & other high ranking officers will be here (in parliament).

“Their election process should also be more transparent. Let us have two or a maximum five but not 10.”

Lugazi Municipality MP, Hon Isaac Mulindwa, proposed that all special interest groups (women representatives, youth, army, workers, elderly and PWDs) should be excluded from Parliament and leave only directly elected MPs.