Deputy Speaker Forced to Prematurely Adjourn Parliament Session
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, was compelled to adjourn the parliamentary session to the following week after nearly two hours of tense confrontations with Members of Parliament (MPs) on Thursday.
Deputy Speaker Tayebwa faced a recurring challenge in his effort to lead the session, as it was marred by disputes regarding parliamentary procedure and order. The source of the confrontation was the Speaker’s decision to modify the day’s order paper to allow the Internal Affairs State Minister, General David Muhozi, to make a statement concerning the events of October 9, 2023, when security forces seized control of the NUP offices, resulting in the arrest of 14 individuals, including the party’s spokesperson, Joel Ssenyonyi.
The parliamentary session began with prayers according to the day’s order paper, but it rapidly deteriorated into procedural disputes from both sides of the Parliament.
MPs continued to disregard the established parliamentary rules. Justice Remmy Kasule, one of the judges, had previously ruled against such behavior during his decision on the Age Limit Petition. MPs appeared reluctant to follow the Speaker’s instructions, as outlined in the rules of parliamentary procedure.
The clash began when Kumi Municipality MP, Silas Aogon, attempted to respond to Deputy Speaker Tayebwa’s communication. Aogon was then interrupted by Kiira Municipality MP, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, who raised a point of order.
Ssemujju questioned whether Aogon’s response was in accordance with the Speaker’s ruling that the Minister should proceed with delivering the statement as specified in the revised order paper.
Subsequently, Juliet Kyinyamatama, the Rakai District Woman Representative, raised a procedural issue. She sought the Speaker’s permission to show a brief video clip in which Mityana Municipality legislator, Francis Zaake, was purportedly recorded using derogatory language and insults directed at her.
“Right Hon. Speaker, Hon. Zaake used offensive language against me, and I cannot even repeat the despicable words he said. Would it be procedurally correct for you to permit the House to view the clip and make their own judgment?” inquired Kyinyamatama.
Goretti Namugga, the Mawogola County Representative, requested the Speaker not to grant Kyinyamatama’s request, arguing that the incident occurred outside Parliament and should not waste the Parliament’s time, given the more pressing matters on the Order Paper.
Deputy Speaker Tayebwa was ultimately compelled to allow the video to be played. However, Ssemujju subsequently raised a procedural point, asserting that if the video contained obscenities, it would be inappropriate to display it, as it would violate the decorum of the House.
Convinced by Ssemujju’s guidance, Tayebwa revoked his decision and referred the matter to be investigated by Parliament’s Committee on Rules and Privileges.
This decision led to a brief suspension of the House, as the complainant protested Tayebwa’s ruling, claiming it amounted to “covering evil.”
“Hon. Members, the House is adjourned for 10 minutes,” ruled the visibly perturbed Deputy Speaker, allowing for further consultations before the plenary could resume. Following over 30 minutes of deliberation, the House reconvened, and the two-minute video clip was shown.
Deputy Speaker Tayebwa then invited the State Minister for Internal Affairs, Gen. David, to present a statement about the security siege of the NUP headquarters on Independence Day and the prior arrest of the party’s President, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, at Entebbe Airport on October 5.
As Gen. Muhoozi began to read the statement, Abdallah Kiwanuka, the Mukono North Constituency MP, raised a procedural matter. He inquired about a previous order for the Minister to present a statement regarding the Kasese attack on June 16, which had not yet been fulfilled.
Opposition legislators had been boycotting plenary sessions for the past two days, demanding the government’s official statement. Tayebwa criticized the opposition’s demand, insisting that the Minister was providing the report as required.
The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Mathias Mpuuga, expressed his discontent with Tayebwa’s decision, arguing that the Minister’s report should not be perceived as a favor to the opposition.
Despite Tayebwa’s repeated attempts to allow Gen. Muhoozi to present the report, he faced continuous interruptions and noise in the House. Left with no alternative, Deputy Speaker Tayebwa adjourned the House to the next week.
According to the day’s Order Paper, the session was set to address eight items, beginning with prayers, followed by communication from the chair, a motion, a statement from the Prime Minister regarding government business for the upcoming week, and the Prime Minister’s question and answer session. Additional items included the presentation of action-taken reports on the report of the Select Committee on the state of affairs at the National Social Security Fund – NSSF, field visits to government prisons and prison farms, disparities in the recruitment of probationer police constables, and Internal Affairs’ Ministerial Policy Statement and Budget Estimates for FY 2023/2024.
