I Don’t Regret Championing Age Limit Removal, Ruth Nankabirwa

By Mulengera Reporters

Dr. Ruth Nankabirwa, who was the Government Chief Whip in Parliament as of 2017 when MPs voted to scrap age limits on the President, says she doesn’t regret championing the removal of such a road block whose erasure had the effect of paving way for Gen YK Museveni’s continued Presidency over Uganda.

Speaking to a large crowd of jubilant supporters in Kiganda where they converged to celebrate the victory and swearing of new Kasanda South MP (Hajji Abdul Bisaso), Nankabirwa enumerated the great things Gen Museveni had done for Uganda in the preceding 8 years (2017-2026) and concluded that the country would have missed all that qualitative and inclusive transformation if the age limit had been allowed to stay in the Constitution, because he would have become ineligible and exited the Presidency in 2021 on the account of age (75 years).

She bragged that as the GCW who spearheaded the mobilization to get the majority MPs vote to scarp the age limits in the Constitution, she is proud and has reason to walk with her head high wherever she goes because this was in the best interest of Ugandans-both the current and posterity.

She implored Kasanda South residents, who voted out NUP’s Frank Kabuye and brought in Bisaso on 15^th January 2026, to be broad-minded and understanding to the extent of avoiding making a lot of financial demands on their new MP because the same will disorganize and frustrate him and make him ineffective, which will be good news for detractors from the opposition NUP whose Frank Kabuye was floored.

Drawing on her vast experience, having been the Kiboga female legislator for such a long time (1994-2021), Nankabirwa also advised Bisaso to concentrate on doing what the President wants as opposed to giving in to blackmail by voters who think it’s fashionable to be a rebel NRM MP in Kampala and who might pressurize him to vote against caucus positions.

She said that Museveni is a very good man who will love Bisaso the way he is, because he isn’t tribalistic, but the new MP should make himself likeable by always being submissive to State House (not his voters) by voting for party positions on all contentious votes in Parliament.

She seemed to be veiledly referencing on the Togikwatako vote during which 27 NRM MPs caucused and voted with the opposition against the proposal to scrap the age limits. Nankabirwa also implored Bisaso to be a bit selfish by investing in things that can quickly develop and transform his own personal material life as opposed to giving in to voters’ endless financial demands.

She referred to herself in Kiboga where she said she sacrificed personal interests/comfort and even avoided putting a fence on her residence in order to make the home 24/7 accessible to Kiboga voters who ended up being ungrateful in 2021 when they controversially voted her out in favour of Christine Kaaya Nakimwero, an obscure candidate who was fronted by Bobi Wine’s NUP.

She also lamented about her banana plantation of 10 acres whose matooke was always eaten by the voters yet her original intention was to sell the same in Kampala and get money for herself. Nankabirwa seemed to be regretting all that generosity because in the end, voters never reciprocated her for all that sacrifice.

She was proud of the fact that Gen Museveni still retained her in his post-defeat cabinet even after losing her MP Seat in 2021 because he appreciated the fact that she had always served him loyally and had never departed from or antagonized party positions. She implored Bisaso to emulate her loyalty and avoid antagonizing NRM party positions (simply because he wants to meet expectations of some voters who keep revolting at public functions simply because Museveni has overstayed) if he wants to end up going very far inside the Movement. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).