The Speaker of Parliament of Uganda, Annet Anita Among, has suspended twelve Members of Parliament (MPs) following a scuffle that ensued in the Parliament chambers on November 6, 2024.

During the plenary sitting, the Mityana Municipality MP, Francis Zaake, provoked Anthony Akol, the Kilak Member of Parliament who is also the Chairperson of the Acholi Parliamentary Group, by trying to push him over for taking up his seat in the chambers, which resulted in a serious physical altercation between the two legislators, causing chaos in the whole house.

However, it is noted that before all the chaos erupted, Zaake had earlier raised a matter that one of the persons behind the speaker had a gun, which is not allowed in the chambers when a debate is ongoing.

“Let the person behind you be subjected to a security check because he has a gun and he is a security personnel,” Zaake said.

Nonetheless, Speaker Among directed the Surgent at Arms to check the person in question, where it was discovered that he didn’t have any guns on him.

The suspended MPs who were immediately evacuated from the chambers include, but are not limited to, Kilak MP Akol, Zaake of Mityana municipality, Charles Tebandeke, Shamim Malende, Wakayima Musoke, Aloysius Mukasa, Isaiah Sassaga, Derrick Nyeko, Frank Kabuye, Susan Mugabi, and Asinansi Nyakato, among others.

Read Also: Stop Politicizing the Coffee Bill—John Bukenya to Opposition MPs

Speaker Among then apologized for the inhumane treatment of Zaake, giving him the authority to give up the names of the people who harmed him.

The second reading of the coffee bill will be discussed in today’s plenary session amidst all the controversies surrounding the amendment.

The National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was first read in the Ugandan Parliament on March 27, 2024. The second reading of the National Coffee (Amendment) Bill in Uganda took place on October 24, 2024. During this session, 159 Members of Parliament voted in favor of proceeding with the bill, while 77 opposed it. The third reading is happening on  November 06, 2024.

This bill proposes the dissolution of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) and the transfer of its functions to the Ministry of Agriculture and has sparked controversy among lawmakers and stakeholders in the coffee sector.