House Agenda Manipulated to Dodge Human Rights Crisis Discourse
In the shadow of the National Unity Platform (NUP) offices being under siege, the violent arrest of opposition MPs, and the ongoing unlawful detention of NUP supporters, a relatively obscure MP, Juliet Kinyamatama, sneakily worked to hijack the House’s agenda while parliament was tackling the deteriorating human rights situation in the nation.
A few days back, Butambala MP Muwanga Kivumbi laid bare on the parliament floor the appalling brutality and lack of tolerance exhibited by the state towards opposition figures. Consequently, opposition MPs staged a walkout in protest.
Sensing that the House was being inundated with demands for the release of unlawfully detained individuals and pleas to put an end to the NUP office siege, Kinyamatama concocted a diversion by accusing Francis Zaake, the Mityana Municipality MP, of an altercation. Some MPs contended that the incident had occurred outside of parliament’s purview, and therefore, it shouldn’t be deliberated within the parliamentary chambers.
In the end, Kinyamatama achieved her goal: diverting attention from the worsening state of affairs in the country. Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa adjourned the House after a two-hour standoff, leaving the pressing human rights crisis largely unaddressed.
