VIDEO: Minister Otafiire reacts to his dramatic ‘baptism’ by district leaders

Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister, Gen Kahinda Otafiire says his Saturday meeting with the local government leaders which ended prematurely with him being kicked out of Namboole Stadium was not for his personal gains.
Speaking to Daily Monitor hours after the ugly scenes where the angry leaders pelted empty bottles at him before splashing water on him, Gen Otafiire said he had brought good news for the leaders but they did allow him to share it.

He insisted that his going to Namboole was not for personal gains but was to represent president Museveni as he had been asked. He dismissed claims that the proposed constitutional amendment which includes the removal of presidential age limit was going to be part of his speech.

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“It is not true that what I was going to share was related to lifting of age limit from the Constitution. That was not on my agenda, neither was the president going to speak anything about it. In fact they did not chase me but they chased the president who had sent me to represent him,” Gen Otafiire told this reporter on phone.
However, the local leaders say they had invited Mr Museveni to listen to their grievances and not Gen Otafiire.

Mr Solomon Oketcho, the Lobotongo Sub-county chairperson in Tororo District, said prior to the meeting, the Uganda Local Government Association (ULGA), executive held a closed door meeting with the President Museveni including Gen Otafiire where age limit removal was part of the agenda.
“ULGA executive met the president and we were told the removal of presidential age limit from the Constitution was part of what was discussed. We took it as a rumour but when we saw [Gen] Otafiire coming as the president’s representative, we became suspicious. We could not allow him to divert our agenda,” Mr Oketcho said.

The 864 ULGA members including district chairpersons, mayors, council speakers and Sub-county chairpersons who had convened to inform Mr Museveni their grievances which includes low wages, underfunding of district programmes, protested Mr Otafiire’s arrival as the president’s representative saying they had been invited to meet the President and not any other person.
As a sign of their dissatisfaction, the leaders hurled insults at Mr Otafiire, accusing him of disrespecting them and having an agenda to divert their meeting.
The minister was saved from the now angry leaders by police and the army officers who whisked him away.
Mr Emmy Agaba, Buyanja Sub-county chairman in Rukungiri District, wondered why of all the 80 ministers Gen Otafiire was chosen to represent the president.
“We left our homes when we were told that we were to meet the president. Then why was this changed to meeting [Mr] Otafiire? Mr Agaba asked.

Lwengo District chairperson, also ULGA president, Godfrey Mutabazi, denied discussing age limit removal during their meeting with President Museveni.
“The [closed door] meeting we had [with Mr Museveni and Gen Otafiire] was to discuss how we could hold a fruitful meeting with the president. We left when he had promised to attend this one in person. As ULGA, we don’t engage in partisan politics,” Mr Mutabazi said.