Plot to Remove MP Zaake as Parliamentary Commissioner Finalized

A section of Members of Parliament have finalized plans to remove Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake as Parliamentary backbench commissioner.

Zaake, who is a member of the National Unity Platform (NUP) is reportedly guilty of gross incompetence and misconduct contrary to the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure and Administration of Parliament Act, 2005.

According to today’s Order Paper, a motion for a resolution of Parliament is expected to be tabled for debate under Rule 110 of the Rules of Procedure and Section 5 of the Administration of Parliament Act.

The motion is expected to be moved by Bardege-Layibi Division MP Martin Ojara Mapenduzi and seconded by Amolatar Woman MP Agnes Atim Apea, Soroti West MP Jonathan Ebwalu and Busia Municipality MP Geoffrey Macho.

Rule 110 of the Rules of Procedure state that a Member of the Commission, other than the Speaker or the Leader of Government Business, Leader of the Opposition or the Minister of finance may be removed from office by Parliament for— (a) incompetence; (b) misconduct; (c) insanity; or (d) inability to perform the functions of his or her office arising from infirmity of body or mind.

Under sub rule 2, a Motion for a resolution for the removal of a Commissioner shall be initiated by a notice in writing to the Clerk, signed by not less than one third of all the voting Members of Parliament, indicating their intention for moving the Motion for the removal. Under sub rule 6, a Commissioner shall be removed upon the vote of at least half of all voting Members of Parliament.

Whereas grounds for Zaake’s removal from office are not yet clear as the movers of the motion remain tightlipped, sources say that his removal is premised on his recent disrespectful and abusive demeanor towards the person of the Deputy Speaker, Anita Among.

Zaake has been using social media especially Twitter to portray the Deputy Speaker as a hypocrite and nonintellectual for failing to defend him over his claims of torture, shortly before winning a gold medal in athletics in the recently ended East African games in Arusha.

In her usual friendly and jokey manner, Among during one of the plenary sittings said that despite the allegations that Zaake was tortured, it did not break his spirit to win the Sprinter race in the EAC games. Zaake took it in bad taste and took to his Twitter handle to regard the Deputy Speaker as a “dishonest” person who lacks “intelligential” prowess.

Here are Zaake’s Tweets;