It is official. Singer Mathias Walukagga and film ‘star’ Proscovia Nabbosa secured the National Unity Platform’s endorsement to contest Busiro East and Mityana parliamentary seats respectively.
NUP rejected Medard Lubega Sseggona, a veteran legislator, and Joyce Bagala, a former journalist, who contested and won the seats in 2021 on the party’s ticket.
Critics are saying Parliament is going to the dogs because Mr Walukagga and Ms Nabbosa are not fit to be MPs. They are also saying NUP’s top leadership wants to work with yes-men/yes-women unlike politicians who are difficult to bring into line. But it is hard to argue cogently that Mr Walukagga and Ms Nabbosa are not fit to be MPs.
This claim does not stand up to close scrutiny. It reflects an ideal of who Ugandans wish their MPs were, not who the Constitution says they must be. Article 80 of the Constitution clearly states the qualifications and disqualifications of an MP. The first qualification is that an MP has to be a citizen of Uganda.
The second is that they must be a registered voter and the third is they must have completed a minimum formal education of Advanced-Level standard or its equivalent.
The disqualifications include not having a sound mind; holding or acting in an office whose functions involve a responsibility for or in connection with the conduct of an election; being a traditional or cultural leader as defined in the Constitution; being bankrupt under any law in force in Uganda; being under a death sentence or a sentence of imprisonment exceeding nine months without the option of a fine.
Mr Walukagga and Ms Nabbosa meet all the qualifications. Fortunately or unfortunately, they do not meet the disqualifications. They can stand in any parliamentary election, and if they secure more votes than those they are competing with, they get elected.
The question of whether they are fit to be in Parliament was settled by the Constitution in 1995. The Constitution is the supreme law of Uganda, and it was enacted by well-educated, intelligent, mature men and women.
They knew what they were doing. If anyone wants to keep Mr Walukagga and Ms Nabbosa out of Parliament, they have to amend the Constitution. New qualifications may include a first-class degree from a recognised university; being able to read, speak and write fluent English; being well-read and knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects and topics; and being familiar with the functions of Parliament.
Now let me turn to the other criticism, that NUP is going for yes-men/yes-women. This criticism loses sight of the way politics works, and it is surprising that it is coming from politicians. Politics is, almost by definition, power.
When you wield power, you want loyalists: people who will toe the line, people who will agree with you most of the time, people who will not challenge you, and your power.
In 2003, when President Museveni was laying the groundwork to remove term limits from the Constitution, Eria Kategaya, Bidandi Ssali, both had worked with him in Cabinet for decades and Miria Matembe publicly opposed him and were outspokenly critical of the move.
How did Mr Museveni react? He fired them. Politicians do not even choose the most qualified people for some jobs simply because they want people who will not give them a hard time.
NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi chose Joel Ssenyonyi for the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. Mr Ssenyonyi is qualified (depending on who you speak to), but qualifications in politics are not always the decisive factor.
The late Mwai Kibaki, Kenya’s president after Daniel arap Moi, named Dr Newton Kulundu (deceased) the minister of Environment and Prof Wangari Mathaai (deceased) the assistant minister.
Ironically, Prof Maathai was the most qualified and went on to win a Nobel Prize for her environment-related work. Politics works in ways that even politicians themselves do not understand.