Kadaga pins Otafiire, Attorney General over elderly representation

The Speaker of Parliament Rebbeca Kadaga has said Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and Attorney General have delayed the amendments of laws in Parliament.

Kadaga, who was launching the elderly district Sacco in Kabarole at district headquarters on Sunday said she has always battled Major General Kahinda Otafiire and William Byaruhanga since the beginning of the 10th Parliament to, among others, allow for the elderly to be represented in Parliament.

“I have always struggled with them. I have asked them to bring the law and amend in time so that our elderly people can also be represented but they have not bothered to find out how important it is,” she said, adding that she wrote to both parties this year but up to now they haven’t replied or acted towards her request.

Amos Manyireho, the chairman elders council also said that the elderly people must be represented in the Parliament because they have not been dually considered in all Parliamentary decisions yet they are also among the special interest groups like youth and people with disability.

“We are discriminated (against), we need representatives to air out our views or problems at the national level so Madam Speaker we request that a law should be enacted. Remove this anomaly,” he said.

Manyireho added that because they don’t have representatives in Parliament, the elderly fund benefits are distributed in only 57 districts yet it would be distributed evenly in all districts.

“This shows clearly that there is a discriminatory sign of elderly people in this people,” he added.

The elderly people have also demanded Parliament to reduce the age of eligibility for the SAGE program from 80 years to 60 years because the life expectancy for Ugandans is at 53 years.

They added that if the age is set at 80, most of them will not live to benefit from the scheme. The also demanded that the government should establish special medical insurance and special wards for them.