Nearly three years since Parliament controversially voted to scrap the 75 year Presidential age cap from the constitution, it seems too early for Bobi Wine’s 22 year old Sharon Taliyiwula to get over the pain that came as a result.
The flamboyant youthful member of National Unity Platform (NUP) has vowed to bring Buzaaya County Member of Parliament and State Minister of Housing and Urban Planning Isaac Isanga Musumba to book for going against the wishes of his people in the controversial constitutional amendment by dragging him to court to seek redress.
During a meeting with the people of Lulyambuzi in Wankole Sub County Kamuli District on August 31, an emotional Taliyiwula vowed to take on Musumba for what she called betrayal to his people who had asked him to vote against the amendment.
She said she could forgive anyone for their role in the erroneous amendment but not the errant Minister who had been part of the Constituency Assembly that drafted the constitution putting the age safety valve as a measure against life Presidency.
” I will pursue this matter until the end. Our people need justice. We need justice. He was been trusted to represent us in the Constitutional making process by our parents in 1993 and still continued to trust him to safeguard our constitution. And guess what, he betrayed us! We can’t just let him walk away with it,” she told the voters.
In October 2017, the Minister convened a Constituency general meeting in Kisozi sub County where the voters were asked to choose which side they belonged to regarding the the amendment of the constitution. Majority asked him to reject the move on their behalf.
He however defied the advise of his voters and went on to vote in support of the bill to the disappointment of the people of his constituency who according to Taliyiwula feel this should be pay back time.
Taliyiwula, who is also seeking to eject the Minister from the Buzaaya seat which he has occupied since 1996 asked the people of the Constituency to consider sending her to Parliament as a way of providing an alternative and better representation.
She thanked the people who first voted Hon Musumba to represent them as a youth in his early 20s, further emphasising the reason why she to being just 22 years should be considered to represent them in the 11th Parliament.
” Our parents voted Musumba in 1993 when he was a youth like me. He was a perfect choice then but now I think the errors in representation are coming out of fatigue. Let’s give him some rest so we can inject in some fresh energy, ” she remarked.
Taliyiwula is a 22 year old practicing physician who will be taking on Minister Musumba who has been area Member of Parliament since 1996 – two years before she[Taliyiwula] was born.
She says her leadership will prioritise girl child education to curb the rampant girl child school drop out rate in the constituency and also improving reproductive health as a professional midwife.
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