Kadaga should retire as MP in 2021-Kanyeihamba

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Professor George Kanyeihamba, a former delegate of the Constituent Assembly wants the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga to retire in 2021. Kadaga has been the Kamuli district Woman representative since 2021.

The Constituent Assembly through affirmative action created several seats for marginalized groups like Youths, Women and Persons with Disabilities in 1995.

During debate on the provisions, there was a proposal to put an embargo on lifting of the affirmative action for UPDF, workers, women, youth and PWD representatives.

The ten-year embargo was meant to ensure that representatives of the five groups gain experience and encourage more women participation in decision making at the national level.

Among those who supported the proposal were Miria Matembe and Prof. George Kanyeihamba while David Tinyefuza and Dr. Kizza Besigye opposed the proposal.

In a telephone interview, Kanyeihamba explained that Besigye wanted the women to serve for a single term on the affirmative action slots.

Now, Kanyeihamba wants Kadaga and other female members of parliament who have served on the affirmative slot for more than two terms to retire in 2021.

He says even those on the directly elected seats must retire so that other women can also benefit from affirmative action.

Kadaga told the press on Thursday that she has stood for the same seat to campaign for her National Resistance Movement-NRM party. She is the second national NRM Vice-Chairperson and of the party’s top organ-the Central Executive Committee.

Kadaga also downplayed criticism that she has overstayed as a woman representative, saying that affirmative action is not a donation because contestants compete and the winner takes the seat.

Although Kanyeihamba still supports affirmative action, she believes that women like Kadaga have overstayed and that they should all consider retiring.

One of the female legislators who has been in parliament for long is Ruth Nankabirwa who has served since 1996. Of the 459 MPs in the tenth parliament, 160 are female. 122 of them are district women representatives, 2 each for the youth and the disabled.

Kanyeihamba also says that during the commemoration of the International Women’s Day, there must also be mass education on tools to protect women from sexual harassment, especially rape.  In 2010, Kanyeihamba wrote in the New Vision newspaper on how women can defeat a potential rapist.

“On being confronted by such a character, the lady should endeavor to show great signs of welcome and desire to fulfill the man’s intentions and sexual desires. The would-be victim might say, ‘please sir; there is no need to panic or use violence. I have always dreamt of being taken by a man of strength and looks like you. Please, where can we do it, here or there?” he said.

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URN