Voting for the 9 people to represent Uganda at the regional parliament is underway with results expected to be announced by 9:00pm.
While presiding over this afternoon’s session, the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has implored the MPs to vote for the nine candidates to represent Uganda, based on their capability and not simply party affiliation.
Earlier this afternoon, parliament was treated to dramatic scenes as different candidates defended their aspirations to represent Uganda at the East African Legislative Assembly.
Legislators from the ruling National Resistance Movement made it almost impossible for other candidates to make their points as they sung in praise of their own six candidates and heckled others.
NRM’s George Stephen Odongo was one of those who received a treat amid efforts from the speaker to restore calm.
However, Forum for Democratic Change’s Ingrid Turinawe had a tough time making her final appeal as members heckled and booed her, with others accusing her of arrogance and defiance but she stood her ground.
One of the charges floated against Turinawe was that she is one of the Ugandans who derogatively refer to Members of Parliament (MPs) as MPigs. The tag, traced to Kenyan political activist Boniface Mwangi, compares MPs, who usually ask for pay increments, to pigs. Pigs, like hyenas, are known for their appetites.
