Is Tayebwa Fighting Against Speaker Anita Among? Tayebwa Welcomes The Public To Parliament At Anytime – MPs Apologize Over Corruption

A sense of tension filled the halls of parliament on Tuesday afternoon as Members returned for plenary after recess.

Outside the House, Police and the Military battled with pockets of protestors who attempted to access parliament in what’s been described as the ‘Stop Corruption March to Parliament’Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa opened the plenary session with a call for order and respect for the rule of law.

Tayebwa started by issuing an apology for what he termed as a “lapse in parliamentary security” a few days ago, when a group of protesters was allowed to access the parliamentary building.

The protestors from Lwemiyaga led by one Yiga Kisakyamukama Wamala stormed the house on July 12th, chanting slogans against Hon Theodore Ssekikubo whom they accused of misrepresenting them.

Hon Joel Ssenyonyi, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament today took the floor to question why the Deputy Speaker allowed this group in Parliament and to his office, yet today’s protestors were being arrested and beaten up by security.Tayebwa said the July 12 incident should not have happened.

“That was a lapse in our security,” he explained.

“Usually when we have people bringing a petition, the security contacts the speaker or the deputy speaker, whoever is in office. On that day, I was in the office. I instructed the security that that is not how we operate. I told the group to go back out and send only three people to bring the petition to my office.”

Regarding today’s protest, Tayebwa said there was nothing wrong with people trying to express their dissatisfaction with the institution of parliament as long as they followed the right procedure. He noted, however, that the Stop Corruption March to Parliament organisers never sent in any official request to bring a petition.

“I have not received any notification regarding anyone trying to bring a petition about what they are discussing in the public,” he said.

“And I will not get out of my chair to move around looking for people or soliciting petitions from the public. If there is anyone with a petition, let them bring it here, and we shall guide them on how to file it.”

Tayebwa added, “This Parliament is open to the public and is always to receive any petition. We have not blocked anyone.”

Several MPs speaking in the corridors of parliament expressed support for the anti-corruption crusaders, with some decrying the manner in which security forces handled them.Hon Naome Kabasharira, the MP for Rushenyi County said the Parliament’s image was in grave danger.

“We are supposed to be the ones fighting for the country but instead we are the ones showing the bad example,” she said.

“We are the ones being discussed which is not good. There need to be some changes; the parliament has to redeem its name”Hon Naboth Namanya of Rubabo County said members of the public were right to pose questions about corruption at Parliament.

“This should have happened yesterday,” he said.

“There there are so many questions in the public and they are very limited answers. There is a lot of documented corruption taking place and as parliament, we should have answered these questions from the public.”