Judges declare change in legal and constitutional age limit

The judges of the Constitutional Court confirmed the change of the presidential age limit.

Up to now, four of the five judges ruled that the change in the presidential age limit was legal and constitutional.

Judges Remmy Kasule, Cheborion Barishaki, Elizabeth Musoke and Associate Chief Justice Alphonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo all ruled that the amendment concerning the limit of The presidential age was constitutional. Only Judge Kenneth Kakuru declared the entire act null and void.

The five judges also declared null and void the tenure of deputies and local governments from five to seven years.

From the amendment, President Museveni, who is above the age limit of 75 in the next election, is a sole beneficiary of the amendment that deputies have lost on their compromise.

The judges unanimously agreed that the extension of the term of the deputies is a violation of a social contract signed between the deputies and the electorate who went to the polls in knowing that they voted for the deputies for only five years.

The judges also unanimously agreed that the President Rebecca Kadaga acted under her powers when she suspended six MPs who disrupted parliamentary business during the debate on the draft bill. Constitutional Act of 2017.

deputies for the chaos and violence that erupted on September 26, 2017, when some legislators were forcibly evicted from the House and some of them were detained

.

They argued that ignoring the president's call for an uninterrupted debate or leaving the rooms for suspended persons led to violence.