Opposition MPs walk out of Parliament in protest, again

The MPs were protesting the heavy deployment of security forces at Parliament, the ban on both NTV Uganda and NBS from airing the plenary live, and the unresolved issues surrounding the way opposition MPs Betty Nambooze, Francis Zaake, and Joyce Bagala, among others, were suspended from Parliament.

"I have received reports from my members that even when you are communicating to that effect, our house is not safe. We are actually surrounded by the military, including vehicles in which some of us were dumped during the age limit debate, and they are surrounding Parliament. Whether by your own instruction or the intervention of external forces, if the house is surrounded, that is a toxic environment. Could you use your authority to ascertain the circumstances under which the House is sitting? And if we are sitting under duress, then we have lost it," Mathias Mpuuga, the Leader of Opposition, said.

He added, “I survived by the whisker; the people who attacked us came from Parliament. What should scare MPs more is that the two televisions, NBS and NTV, always live stream; they have been put off live stream. Can we legislate under that kind of environment? I think it is adequate enough for me to honourably take leave.”

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayeebwa, however, denied calling for security at the House but said that he had received a note from security indicating intelligence that there was a rowdy crowd on its way to Parliament.

“I want to make it clear that I have not ordered any security at Parliament, and it is not necessary; there is nothing that warrants that. I have received this note from the Sergeant-at-Arms that security being referred to outside Parliament is under Kampala Metropolitan Police. They have received intelligence information about rowdy groups of people who are planning to come to Parliament. I cannot have powers over issues outside Parliament," he said.