The jovial mood is high in Kiboga district where the Chief Whip to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), Ruth Nankabirwa is hosting a party for the NRM legislators that voted in favour of the constitutional amendment to repeal Presidential age limits.
Members of the public were already forming long queues to flock the celebrations at Sazza grounds in Kiboga district on Sunday morning.
It is reported that the legislators and other guests will feast at over 20 cows that have reportedly been slaughtered to make the event remarkable.
President Yoweri Museveni who is the national Chairperson for the NRM party is expected to grace the function.
Tents have been erected to accommodate the hundreds of guests and a stage has also been set up as some musical performances are expected to characterize the merrymaking.
Many of the NRM legislators could be seen wearing yellow.
However, guests who turned up at the event clad in red coloured caps, scaffs and ribbons were forced to remove them as that was the condition for access by security. The restrictions on the red attire could be connected to the fact that the Opposition used red colours as a symbol to protest the contentious amendment last year.
During the consultations by MPs and the subsequent Parliamentary debate that led up to the passing of the amendment that removed the upper Presidential age limit, Opposition MPs wore red caps and red ribbons to express their opposition to the Bill.
However, the NRM which enjoys a majority in Parliament would later vote in support of the Bill on December 20, last year, in a vote that saw 317 MPs vote for and 62 against the Bill.
It is this background that could have forced the organizers of Sunday’s NRM party to be strict against the red attire. Those wearing shirts and other clothing with red colours went through a tedious time explaining to security that their motives were genuine and not to disrupt the party.
Earlier this month, when Ruth Nankabirwa who doubles as Kiboga district woman MP revealed plans to throw the party, she termed the NRM MPs who supported the amendment as heroes who braved criticism from the opposition and supported the party decision on the matter.
Nankabirwa said that the celebration was initiated by the people of Kiboga in appreciation of the services that the legislators rendered to the country.
According to Nankabirwa, her electorate requested her to invite all the MPs so that they can appreciate them for their stand to defend the Bill.