“Zaake Should Be Subjected To Mental Examination And Be Chased Out Of Parliament” MP Kinyamatama Demands

Rakai Woman MP Juliet Kinyamatama wants Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake suspended from Parliamentary proceedings for the rest of the term for allegedly defaming her personality.

However, as ALI MIVULE reports, the Mityana Municipality legislator maintains that these proceedings are diversionary, with parliament expected to focus on critical matters and not petty fights.Juliet Kinyamatama asked Parliament’s Rules Committee to subject Francis Zaake (Mityana Municipality) to a thorough mental checkup and have him thrown out of Parliament for the two and half years of his remaining term in the 11thParliament.

“My prayers are that the Hon. Zaake is subjected to a thorough mental examination to any of the national mental facilities to ascertain the mental state of the member given his conduct in and out of parliament. Hon. Zaake be suspended from Parliament and all its premises and the rest of the session for the 11thParliament,” said Kinyamatama.

It should be remembered that on March 10, 2022, the Committee in its report to Parliament found Zaake  guilty of misconduct following a probe into his social media attack on Speaker Anita Among when she was still serving as deputy Speaker.

As a result of this report, an amendment to the motion was moved to have Zaake removed as a Commissioner of Parliament, a decision he successfully challenged in the Constitutional Court.

In a lead Judgement written by Justice Irene Mulyagonja, the Constitutional Court on September 28, 2023, quashed the decision of Parliament on grounds that there was no requisite quorum at the time of passing the censure motion, the deputy Speaker then presiding over a matter to which she was a conflicted party, and, passing a resolution on an amended motion without giving Zaake a fair hearing.Also in the 10th Parliament, then Speaker Rebecca Kadaga referred Zaake to the same committee on November 7, 2019, after accusing him of behaving dishonourably during the inquiry into the Makerere University students strike.

Zaake was accused of insulting Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, when he appeared before the Committee on Education and Sports on November 6, 2019. The education committee was investigating the circumstances surrounding the strike at Uganda’s oldest and leading university.

“I have watched the footage of the departure of Prof. Nawangwe from the committee room. Honourable Zaake followed him, heckling him, insulting him, threatening to beat him, right up to the steps of this House,” Kadaga said then.

Zaake was also accused of allegedly over interjecting when Nawangwe was speaking before the Committee, and behaving in an unbecoming manner when the State Minister for Higher Education, Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo appeared before the same committee over the same matter.

“In my view Hon Zaake acted in a manner unbecoming of a Member of Parliament and has breached our code of conduct, I therefore, refer this matter to the committee of rules and discipline to make appropriate recommendations to the House within two weeks,” Kadaga ordered while siting rules 83 and 84 of the 10th Parliament’s Rules of Procedure.

The Committee in its report presented in January 2020, found the legislator guilty of “inappropriate” behaviour towards Prof Nawangwe but there was no recommendation for Zaake to be punished, instead the House adopted recommendations that MPs should always adhere to the rules of debate as provided and there should not be any interruptions.