Parliament Adjourned Prematurely as Angry MPs Attempt to Lynch MP Zaake

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The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, Rakai District Woman MP Kinyamatama and MP Zaake.

Parliamentary session was on Thursday afternoon unceremoniously adjourned to Tuesday next week by the Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa after the house had turned rowdy when a group of angry legislatures attempted to beat Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake (NUP).

The legislators were discussing the allegation against MP Zaake, in which he is accused of making defamatory remarks against Rakai District Woman MP Juliet Kinyamatama.

Tension erupted among a section of some legislators shortly after Tayebwa allowed the video of MP Zaake insulting MP Kinyamatama. It is alleged that MP Zaake made the abusive statement while in Rakai district.

MP Zaake was shielded by some opposition legislators from the wrath of fellow angry colleagues. 

“Let that video be played. I want the world to see what he said. Why are we covering evil? An attack on a woman is an attack on all of us as female MPs. I have been keeping my cool, but I want this house to see what exactly happened. We can’t cover men who don’t respect women. I can’t be called what he called me,” said Kinyamatama.

Before adjourning the house, Tayebwa had already referred the matter to the Committee of Rules, Privileges, and Discipline for investigation.

The Speaker had also ordered the transmission of the video to Makerere University for translation into the English language because the words uttered in the video were spoken in Luganda.

The Constitutional Court recently invalidated the parliamentary resolution to remove Francis Zaake, the Mityana Municipality Member of Parliament from his position as a Parliamentary Commissioner.

In a majority decision with four Justices in favor and one in opposition, the Court ruled that the then Deputy Speaker Anita Among, who presided over the matter, had violated the principles of natural justice by not recusing herself as the complainant.