You Were Given Air!! Speaker Among Rejects NUP Zaake’s Appointment As Deputy Chief Whip

The Speaker of Parliament, Anitah Among, has rejected the appointment of Francis Zaake as the Deputy Chief Whip of the Opposition, citing the absence of such a position in parliamentary rules.

Zaake, also the Shadow Minister of Presidency and Security, was designated Deputy Chief Whip by John Baptist Nambeshe, the Chief Opposition Whip, on Tuesday.Speaker Among contested the move, asserting that the Rules of Procedure of Parliament only acknowledge the Chief Whip and not the Deputy.

“We don’t have that position (Deputy Chief Whip) in our Rules of Procedure. We don’t have it; withdraw it. We have a whip who is your good self; we don’t have a deputy in our Rules of Procedure. That is air; if someone has been given air, that is air,” she stated.

The Speaker’s decision followed an attempt by John Baptist Nambeshe, representing Manjiya County in Bududa and the Chief Whip of the opposition in the 11th Ugandan Parliament, to assign Zaake to two positions: Shadow Minister of Presidency and Security, as well as Deputy Chief Whip.

However, he later withdrew the appointment, expressing respect for the Speaker’s ruling and a plan to consult with colleagues on the way forward.