Mp’s Question Gen. Katumba Wamala over Army MP’s Conduct

Members of parliament on legal committee have questioned the powers of president over the role of Army representatives in Parliament.
The Army Council chaired by President Museveni, usually sits to elect their representatives in Parliament but such has caused suspicion among some MP’s that such makes them sympathizes to the NRM government yet against the rules of parliamentary business.
Mps who include Bugweri County Abdul katuntu and Kibanda county MP Sam Otada want the army representatives to exhibit an outstanding level of neutrality not only by actions but also by ideology.
The complaining Mps accuse the UPDF MPs of sharing the parliamentary seats with NRM Mps yet different areas were zoned off to accommodate the different parliaments representatives according to who they represent.
These Mps have submitted such concerns during a parliamentary sitting for the legal and parliamentary affairs committee which the commander of Defense Forces, General Edward Katumba Wamala had appeared on Thursday afternoon chaired by the chaired by West Budama Fox Odoi to present Army’s view on the parliamentary Elections Amendment Bill 2015.
Katumba Wamala has told the Mps on the legal committee that these Mps play an important role main among which is to keep sight of the daily business in parliament.
“It is true that the president appoints who to represent the UPDF in parliament but he does not influence how they run their daily parliamentary business” said Wamala.
He has further explained that soon the army council will consult the relevant stakeholders to discus the sitting arrangement of the Army representatives in parliament so as to attain confidence in the public.
Currently there are 10 UPDF representatives in parliament and a section of Ugandans and members of parliament are still against their presence in parliament under the multiparty democracy system of governance.
By David Turyatemba and Joshua Mutale