State Minister for Works and Transport Gen Edward Katumba Wamala has come out to deny allegations by ‘ailing’ Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake that he punched him in the head to near death.
The former Chief of Defence Forces told this website that although he had intention to punch the legislator if he continued to act wildly, the punch never caught him as reported.
In a telephone interview with SoftPower on Monday morning, the General said; “The blow never landed on him though I made my intentions clear that if he didn’t stop his wild behavior I was going to punch him.”
On Sunday, Katumba Wamala told NBS TV in an interview that he warned the legislator against throwing chairs at parliament security and only grabbed Zaake to restrain him.
“Zaake first used his belt and beat up whoever passed. When he saw that security was coming to pick him he ran to where we were standing and he started throwing chairs,” the Minister said.
“I just grabbed him. In fact I was standing with Hon. Winnie Kizza who told me not to beat Zaake and I indeed let him go. He was lucky because if i was to punch him, he would” (laughs) Generals don’t throw one punch,” Wamala added.
A photo of heavily built Gen Wamala aiming a punch at MP Francis Zaake has been making rounds on social platforms. Zaake says he is currently nursing severe head injuries at Rubaga hospital where he has been on life support machine.
One of the commentators on social media has made interpretation of the photo.
“When you look at that photo, the blow was aimed at MP Zaake’s right hand, but if you see the MP’s interviews, it is the left hand that he displays.”
MPs opposed to the lifting of the age limit to allow President Museveni rule beyond the age of 75, engaged in a brawl with Special Forces Brigade (SFC) after they refused to leave the Parliament chambers when Speaker Rebecca Kadaga suspended them.
Katumba Wamala defended speaker’s actions to suspend the rowdy MPs saying that she has the duty and powers to put the house to order.
The army General said that the opposition being the government in waiting, it is incumbent on them to demonstrate that they deserve to lead the country through the way they conduct themselves. He said Parliament is a place for intellectual discourse not physical fights.