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In the bustling heart of Uganda, a storm brews in the political arena. Mityana Municipality MP, Francis Zaake, has once again been summoned before the Committee on Rules, Privileges, and Discipline. This marks the third instance of such a call. The repeated appearances of Zaake before the committee have sent ripples through the political landscape, causing a stir among both supporters and detractors.
If Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake was living in the ancient African days, he would have died of canes.
Zaake’s Controversy Escalates
Amidst the political turmoil, a chorus of accusations echo around the walls of the parliament. Female parliamentarians have accused Zaake of abuse, their voices growing louder as they call for remedial measures. The allegations against the MP have added fuel to an already smoldering fire, intensifying the political heat in Uganda according to Voice Of Africa
By Eric Dominic Bukenya
The conduct of the young NUP legislator continues to shock not only his fellow opposition MPs but the entire public and is a pain to the people of Mityana whom he represents in the August House.
Zaake has for the third time in a space of 4 years been sent to the Parliamentary Committee on Rules, Privileges, and Discipline for his continued unruly, foul-mouthed, and ill-mannered conduct within and outside parliament.
It all started when Zaake made outrageous defamatory statements against Rakai Woman MP, Juliet Ssuubi Kinyamatama in the latter’s constituency on 9th October 2023.
Kinyamatama on Thursday, took to the floor of parliament to raise a procedural concern regarding the conduct of Zaake, who in a video clip circulating on social media labeled Kinyamatama as a “useless” politician and “prostitute” who doesn’t deserve to be voted back in 2026.
MPs were left in utter shock when the video clip was played during plenary.
The Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, who was the presiding officer instructed the Committee on Rules, Privileges, and Discipline to conduct an investigation into Zaake’s conduct and report to Parliament within 45 days.
MP Zaake is not new to such rowdy conduct void of etiquette and a sound mind. On 15 February 2022, Members of Parliament accused Zaake, a parliamentary commissioner of insulting the integrity of Parliament after he took to social media and used offensive language which demeaned the office of the speaker and the entire institution of parliament. This probe’s outcome resulted in a vote of no confidence in Zaake with MPs impeaching him as a commissioner.
But before, Zaake had appeared before the same committee for harassing the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University. In November 2019 during the reign of Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga, Zaake was sent to the disciplinary committee after Kadaga retrieved footage of Zaake harassing, abusing, and threatening to beat up Makerere University Vice Chancellor Barnabas Nawangwe who was appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Education.
“Zaake was unruly and uncontrollable, and I have been informed that Hon Basalirwa [Asuman] had to intervene to tell him to control himself in vain. I have retrieved footage of Hon Zaake following Prof Nawangwe up to the stairs; heckling, insulting, and threatening to beat him. In my view, Hon Zaake has conducted himself in a manner unbecoming of an MP and he has breached our code of conduct and therefore lowered the public trust of this institution. I, therefore, forward this matter to the Committee on Rules, Privilege, and Discipline for further investigation and should make appropriate recommendations to the house within two weeks,” Kadaga said then.
Rule 83 of the Parliament Rules of Procedure bars MPs from using unparliamentary language which is offensive, abusive, insulting and blasphemous.
It should also be recalled that in 2017, MP Zaake put parliament into disrepute when he and other opposition MPs attempted to confiscate the Speaker’s mace during the age limit debate and openly got involved in a fistfight with security officers who attempted to bring sanity in the parliament chambers.
Upon coming to Parliament in 2016, Zaake’s true colors of rotten conduct were first observed when he solely disrupted the Buganda caucus meeting which had convened to elect its leaders.
Parliamentary Rules of Procedure require that Members of Parliament shall at all times conduct themselves in a manner that will enhance public trust and confidence in the integrity of parliament and not undertake any action which will bring the house to disrepute.