Five National Unity Platform (NUP) Members of Parliament have been suspended from plenary sessions for three days. The suspension has been served by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa.
The MPs include Francis Zaake of Mityana Municipality, Mukono Municipality’s Betty Nambooze Bakireke, Joyce Bagala of Mityana district, Derrick Nyeko representing Makindye East and Frank Kabuye of Kasanda South.
Without giving the reason for their suspension, Tayebwa cited rule 89 (4) of the rules of procedure of the Parliament of Uganda to suspend the legislators.
Rule 89(4) states that “If a member is suspended, his or her suspension in the first occasion in a session shall be for the next three sittings, excluding the sitting in which he or she was suspended; on the 2nd occasion in a session, for the next seven sittings excluding the sitting in which he or she was suspended, and on the third and any subsequent occasion during the same session for the next 28 sittings of the house, excluding the sitting in which the member was suspended”.
After the suspension of the MPs, the speaker adjourned the House.
Before the MPs’ suspension, there was drama in the House after the Parliament’s IT team failed to play a video tabled by the leader of the opposition, Mathias Mpuuga, in response to government’s statement about the recent interception of NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi at Entebbe Airport on October 5, 2023.
In the statement, the government defended Kyagulanyi’s interception by security operatives, saying his supporters intended to march to State House Entebbe, something which had been intended to antagonise the security and peace of the person of the President.
Responding to the suspension of his members, Mpuuga said the action by the speaker is intended to intimidate the opposition MPs.
“I don’t think any member here is intimidated about the suspension. In fact, all of us are ready to be suspended for the biggest suspension there is in the rules,” Mpuuga said.