Tayebwa postpones Parliament over Zaake's alleged demeaning statements

Shortly after plenary began, Kinyamatama requested that Parliament intervene in what she characterised as Zaake's conduct and insulting words against her on October 9 at one of the demonstrations staged in her Rakai District constituency.

“I raise a matter of procedure. On the 9th of October, one of our members, Zaake, went to my constituency and used defamatory words against me. I cannot mention the remarks here, and I ask that the ICT department play the video,” Kinyamatama said.

When the NRM female MPs saw Zaake exit the Parliament chambers, they ambushed him in an attempt to beat him up, but the Sergeant at Arms and some opposition MPs rescued Zaake and moved him out.

It is alleged that Zaake was caught on camera saying that Kinyamatama is a disgrace to Parliament because she was engaged in prostitution.

“Don’t you see that whoever goes to him (Museveni) must undergo a COVID test? He has illnesses. You people do not even have MPs here. They do nothing save from sweating in chairs,” Zaake was caught on camera saying.

He added, “We also have this Nalumansi (Kinyamatama), as if she went to Parliament for prostitution. She is wicked. They have rendered Parliament useless. We expect you to send better MPs than this one.”

This new development comes against the backdrop of the Court ordering Zaake’s reinstatement as a commissioner in Parliament.

Zaake was impeached by fellow MPs on March 10, 2022, and he filed a constitutional petition challenging the manner in which he was removed from the Office of Commissioner of Parliament, which he said has since cost him all the privileges, entitlements, and responsibilities.

The five judges of the Constitutional Court noted that there were less than half of the MPs present in the house when Zaake was voted out of the commission, which is against Rule 84(1) of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament.

Only 161 MPs were in plenary, of whom 155 voted to expel Zaake.

The judges, on the other hand, referred to the amendment of the recommendations in the report of the parliamentary committee on rules, privileges, and discipline to include a recommendation that Zaake be removed from office, which the justices say had no basis in the law and was passed in contravention of articles 42 and 44(C) of the Constitution and Rule 110(5) in the Rules of Procedure of Parliament.