Museveni regrets minimum education requirement for MPs

President Yoweri Museveni has revealed that he regrets the constitutional provision that set minimum education requirements for Members of Parliament.

Article 80 clause 1(c) of the Constitution states that a person is qualified to become a member of parliament if they “have completed a minimum formal education of Advanced Level standard or its equivalent”.

In 2020, Parliament amended the Local Government Act and dropped the same requirement for LC 5 Chairpersons and Mayors among other local leaders.

There have been demands from activists and a section of Ugandans to raise the Minimum education requirement for MPs and re-introduce it at local government to enable leaders to execute their duties.

But President Yoweri Museveni says that he regrets accepting the framers of the Constitution to set minimum education requirements for MPs saying that some areas have ended up being represented by educated politicians who don’t represent the interests of their people.

Museveni said this partly explains why there are still land evictions in villages and poor service delivery because elected MPs don’t represent the areas that they care about.

Museveni added that some MPs wanted to deepen the error by fixing the minimum education requirement for LC 3 Chairpersons but rejected the proposal because he was interested in seeing people electing people who represent their interests and could fight for them.

Museveni promised to increase pay for LC 3 chairpersons and councilors to ensure that they fight for their people and stop lamenting over poor facilitation.

“I admit that we erred in tying MP representation to education. They wanted to deepen the error on LC 3 Chairpersons but I refused it. LC 3 Chairpersons and councillors should be elected for representation and fight for you irrespective of education levels” Museveni said.

Museveni was speaking at Kalule playground in Luwero town shortly after commissioning the three-storied workshop building for Excel Vocational Training Center.

Museveni’s comments were in response to complaints of rampant evictions by residents to Hadijah Namyalo the coordinator of his party office based in Kyambogo , Kampala.

Museveni also hailed the director of Excel Vocational Training Center for establishing the institute and making a great contribution to skilling the youths.

Museveni promised that the government would help the school be licensed and acquire more equipment.

Currently, the training center boasts 8301 students who are pursuing diplomas and certificates in vocational courses.

Shafik Mwanje the Director of Excel Vocational Training Center said that skilling the youths is the way to fight unemployment and expressed gratitude for the support of the project