Opposition MPs boycott state of the nation address

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Opposition Members of Parliament have resolved to boycott the State of the Nation Address that will be delivered by President Museveni.

The decision follows a Shadow Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday attended by MPs from the National Unity Platform-NUP, Forum for Democratic Change-FDC, Democratic Party-DP, Uganda People’s Congress-UPC, People Progressive Party-PPP, and Justice Forum-JEEMA.

Mathias Mpuuga, the Leader of Opposition says that they will not attend the function because of the inactive approaches of President Museveni and his Cabinet to address the soaring prices of essential commodities in the country.

Mpuuga pointed out that the President is sleeping on his job, and also interfering with the functions of the Judiciary as the third arm of government as seen in the delayed trial of Members of Parliament Muhammad Ssegirinya of Kawempe North, and Allan Ssewanyana of Makindye West.

Asked whether the boycott would be a success following several other similar actions in the past when some Opposition MPs disregarded the boycott, Mpuuga told journalists at Parliament that they will not condemn any Opposition MP should they attend the event.

In March, Masaka Grade One Magistrate Christine Nantegge committed the jailed MPs to the High Court for trial in a case where they are accused of murder, aiding, and abetting terrorism.

The accused MPs have so far spent nine months in custody and their trial has never commenced.

Since their arrest in September 2021, this will be the third time the opposition MPs are protesting. In September and March, they boycotted a plenary to protest the abduction and arrest of the two MPs, human rights abuses, arbitrary arrests, and detention of citizens by security operatives in the country.

President Museveni will deliver the State of the Nation Address at 2:00pm. The House was prorogued on May 20, 2022 to mark an end to the 1st session of the 5-year tenure of Parliament that began on May 24, 2021.

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