African leaders under the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) have tasked the Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga to explain the brawl that took place in Parliament last month and left a number of legislators battered by security operatives.
This was during an assessment meeting between the Speaker and the APRM delegation led by Bish. Dinis Sengulane who is in Uganda to assess the country’s progress in terms of good governance.
APRM members expressed shock that Uganda’s Parliament that other countries have been holding with high esteem ended up with members fighting within the chambers.
“Share with us some specifics which could be used by us as best practices that other African countries can borrow from the Ugandan Parliament despite something that happened not long ago which was embarrassing,” the leaders told the Speaker.
Speaker Kadaga, however, noted that the incident that happened was unique which was due to the tension that was going on in the country.
“Since the Constituency Assembly we have never fought, it is now 50 years; but there is a reason why, there is tension in the country and that tension was reflected by what happened in the House,” Kadaga said.
Kadaga observed that, “For three or four sittings, the Speaker and the mace were guarded; the tension is due to the proposal to amend the constitution so that people of 100 years can stand for president.”
She noted that what made it worse is the desire by some members to make sure that there should be no sitting, and if there is a sitting there should be no debate on that issue.
Kadaga noted that the move by some legislators was contrary to the rules of procedure which allow members to bring a motion and members decide whether to bring the bill or not.
“The fight was aimed at preventing the motion from coming to the floor, I think in any democracy you do it by speaking against it and not by beating it; if I stop one member from bringing the motion, how do I allow the other.”
Kadaga regretted the strange forces that entered the parliament chambers that ended up beating legislators.
“I suspended the members, the Leader of Opposition directed them not to leave; our rules require that once you are told to leave you leave, and if not the Sargent at Arms lifts you and takes you to the gate.”
She observed that what complicated the issue and unknown to her is that it wasn’t only the Sargent who was here.
“There were other forces and when I found out that I wrote to the President inquiring to know who those people are otherwise we had never fought.”