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What next for Zaake after losing commissioner job?
Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake and Parliament Deputy Speaker Anita Among. PHOTO/COMBO
What you need to know:
- The results from Thursday night’s vote indicated that 155 legislators voted to remove Mr Zaake from the Parliamentary Commission.
In the late night hours of Thursday, the fate of Mr Francis Zaake—who was serving as a backbench member in the Parliamentary Commission—was determined.
He was booted out from the Parliamentary Commission, following a secret ballot vote to ascertain whether he crossed a Rubicon by allegedly abusing deputy Speaker Anita Among.
The Mityana Municipality legislator, who conforms to the ideologies of the National Unity Platform (NUP), was elected to the position last year. The Parliamentary Commission performs different roles such as appointing, promoting and exercising disciplinary control over persons holding respective offices in the House. It also reviews the terms of service of appointees.
The results from Thursday night’s vote indicated that 155 MPs voted to remove Mr Zaake from the commission. Four were against his removal, with two invalid votes registered. Only 161 out of a possible 529 MPs participated in the exercise that saw a section of members from the Opposition walk out in protest.
The House had earlier adopted a motion moved by Mr Martin Ojara Mapenduzi (Bardege-Layibi)—the main complainant in the matter.
On February 15, Mr Zaake’s case over his alleged abusive tweets directed towards Ms Among, was referred to the Committee on Rules on Rules, Privileges and Discipline under the stewardship of Mr Abdu Katuntu (Bugweri County). Ms Among asked the Committee to assess the matter before returning to the House with a report.
Mr Zaake interfaced with the Committee on one occasion and was a no-show thereafter. During his sole appearance, the Mityana Municipality MP said it should have been Ms Among to face the disciplinary committee and not him. The deputy Speaker was not summoned after Mr Katuntu ruled there was no need on her part since Mr Ojara was the complainant in the matter.
Shortly after the results from the Thursday vote were relayed. Ms Among stated that Mr Zaake not only “cease[d] to be a member of the Parliamentary Commission” but “is required to come and make an apology in this House in one week.” The Opposition, she added, would be “ask[ed]…to give us another name of a commissioner.” It is unclear whether the Opposition is barred from recommending Mr Zaake.
The Mityana Municipality MP was not present during the session, a development some MPs felt impacted the outcome of the vote since he didn’t give his views on the matter. The Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP), Mr Mathias Mpuuga, questioned the previous process of obtaining signatures from MPs—a move which eventually saw the motion being debated in the House. The signatures were laid on the table by Mr Ojara.
“I wanted to be on record that the signatures laid by Honourable Mapenduzi are fraudulent before this House,” the LoP protested, adding, “I am alive to how signatures are collected over such a matter. The record was never at the sergeant (at-arms) table.”
In response, Ms Among said the signatures were collected by the sergeant (at-arms) and clerk to Parliament.
The majority report—accepted by the House—recommended that Mr Zaake make an apology on the floor of Parliament. The minority report—read by Ms Aisha Nalule Kabanda (Butambala Woman)—suggested that what Mr Katuntu proffered be rejected. It instead proposed that reconciliation be considered between the two warring parties. Ms Kabanda also suggested an amendment to the law to provide for a panel of presiding officers in situations where both Speaker and Deputy can either be conflicted or indisposed.
Mr Geoffrey Macho (Busia Municipality) believes the development gives NUP a chance to press a reset button and that “Honourable Zaake [should] become a backbencher like some of us so that we can move the voice of the people in this August House.”
Other MPs like former LoP Nathan Nandala Mafabi (Budadiri West), however, reckon that the punishment was excessive for a first time offence, especially since “no-one is a saint on earth.” Another former LoP, Ms Betty Aol Ocan, (Gulu City, Woman) believes bigger problems other than Mr Zaake’s should be illuminated.
Mr Eron Kizza, a legal representative for Mr Zaake, described the process that ended with his client being stripped of his position as commissioner as “unfair.” Mr Zaake could not be reached for a comment by press time. The Opposition chief whip, John Baptist Nambeshe (Manjiya County), however, said they are exploring options of “seek[ing] redress in courts of judicature.”
Mr Ivan Bwowe, a lawyer, told Saturday Monitor that he predicts a drawn-out legal process. He said: “The censure motion was not (strong) enough and so, I suspect that this (decision) is going to be subject to further judicial process. In my mind, I foresee a court case.”
Mr Peter Walubiri, another lawyer, however, reckons courts are usually reluctant to inquire into internal matters of other arms of government. He adds that if Mr Zaake opts for their involvement in the matter, the embattled MP would have to indicate how he was unfairly treated by the House.
The law
Section 94 of the Rules of Procedure stipulates that a Parliamentary Commissioner may be removed from office on grounds of incompetence, misconduct, failure or refusal without justifiable reason to execute the duties of its office.
The member shall be removed upon the vote of at least half of all voting legislators.
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