Leader of Opposition in Parliament and also Kasese District Woman MP, Winnie Kiiza
Opposition Members in Parliament this weekend launched a countrywide campaign against the proposed constitutional amendment of Article 26 starting with Masaka district.
The amendment intends to give government the mandate to compulsory acquisition of private land for government development purposes.
The Leader of Opposition in Parliament and also Kasese District Woman MP, Winnie Kiiza, says that the opposition members need to consult the general public about the proposed amendment.
Considering the legislative role for Members of Parliament, Kiiza says that the Opposition does not expect the police to stop them went they go out to the 21 sub regions of Uganda consulting the people on the law that pertains their rights on land.
Kiiza says that it would illegal for the police to block any member of parliament from consulting Ugandans on a bill that is before Parliament.
According to the program, the opposition MPs will move to Kampala District, Katwe, Nakulabye, Kasokoso in particular before going the Wakiso district.
She told reporters at the Parliament that through this campaign the public will be sensitized on demerits of the proposed amendments urging that the bill was brought in bad faith and it is not in interests of Ugandans.
Flanked by members of the shadow cabinet, Kiiza says that the only resource Ugandans are left with is land and they cannot allow President Museveni and his colleagues to deprive them of this only resource.
Makindye West MP, Allan Sewanyana
Makindye West MP, Allan Sewanyana, told this Newspaper that the argument of compulsory acquisition of land for purposes of government development project does not hold water since government can still get land for development after full compensation of land owners.
Ssewanyana adds there precedents where government has acquired land displaced people in the name of development but to-date the land is idle. He says in some cases such land acquired by government is instead development by private individuals under the guise of investors.
Meanwhile, Kiiza also points out that this bill could be used to fight and cripple political opponents, by government forcefully taking their property under the guise of putting up development projects and giving inadequate compensation to the victim.
On the ongoing debate of lifting the presidential Age limit, Kiiza says that the opposition will tackle the matter at the appropriate time.