Despite a series of engagements with the parliamentary committee on rules, privileges, and discipline, Mityana Municipality parliamentary legislator Francis Zaake has been sacked from being commissioner of parliamentary following a vote of no confidence on Thursday.
Zaake, who has for the past weeks been in question by the committee over allegations of misbehavior and conduct as raised by Gulu West Legislator Ojara Mapenduzi, has according to the majority report been found guilty of the matter thus leading to his sacking.
Upon tabling the report, Rukiga county MP Roland Ndyomgyenyi proposed that amendments be done in the majority report to remove Zaake from office, this was adopted by the house who under the guidance of the deputy speaker Anita Among voted with the account of 155 members voting in favor of the motion, only four against and two votes regarded as invalid.
The report was presented by Bugweri County MP Abdul Kantuntu, chair of the disciplinary committee who noted that Members of parliament needed at all times to act with restraint and decorum regardless of being inside or outside the parliamentary premises.
Katuntu adds that while each MP bore a duty to give honor and respect to the institution, Hon Zaake did not only violate lower the dignity of the house but also failed to raise a motion to question the conduct or remarks made by the Deputy speaker which according to the legislator were not in good faith as it would be the right procedure to take.
“It is, therefore, the committee’s view that the conduct of Hon Zaake was not proper and amounted to misbehavior and misconduct,” Katuntu said.
He added that not even the evaluation of the submission and evidence could say otherwise since the legislator had not taken any steps provided by the rule of prducure to challenge the words of the presiding officer.
Appearing in the Committee for inquiry for the first time on March 28, Hon Zaake on all odds denied putting in question the jurisdiction in which the committee handled the matter.
Zaake noted that article 94(1) provided appropriate title as rules of procedure in parliament and that it was not rules of procedure outside parliament.
The objection was even made official in a statement dated March 1 where the honorable noted that the deputy speaker had through her social media handle on February 8 made a mockery about the legislator’s health prompting the legislator to also do the same as proved by the committee in regards to the ownership of the social handles.
“The presented particulars bear the social media details of Hon Zaake and without any denial by the Hon, the committee finds the Twitter handle belonging to the legislator,” Hon Kantuntu said.
Butambala Woman MP Aisha Kabanda who presented the minority report showed dissatisfaction with the proceeding recommending that the two parties could have reconciled to enable the smooth running of the parliament and avoidance of unnecessary interruption and tension.
She further recommended that parliament amends the laws to provide for a panel of presiding officers in situations where both the speaker and deputy could be either indisposed or conflicted.
The deputy speaker, who was chairing the house ordered that a new member from the opposition be forwarded as the new leader of the parliamentary commission.
