The government has withdrawn the Constitution Amendment Bill No. 2 of 2017, which sought to give it (government) absolute power to acquire land for development without first compensating the owners. The Constitution Amendment Bill was tabled before Parliament last year but it had since stoked controversy with concerns that if passed into law, it would people’s right to land, which is a fundamental source of livelihood on which 80percent Ugandans derive sustenance.

Explaining the government new development, Mr Mwesigwa Rukutana, the Deputy Attorney–General, said the government needs to carry out further consultations.
“We are the sponsors of this Constitution Amendment Bill. However, subsequent to presenting it for the first reading, government discovered that the Bill required extensive consultations,” Mr Rukutana said during plenary yesterday.