By Max Patrick Ocaido
The Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, Barnabas Nawangwe has narrated his harrowing encounter with Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake.
Nawangwe says that the youthful MP insulted and threatened to beat him up during last month’s meeting with the Committee on Education about the recent Makerere University strike.
While appearing before the Committee of Rules, Privileges and Discipline on Tuesday, Nawangwe said that Zaake’s harassment left him traumatized and is afraid of appearing before any Parliamentary Committee for fear of being treated disrespectfully again.
“He (Zaake) just poured a barrage of insults and made various derogative allegations in my person and I didn’t respond and he kept doing this despite efforts of the committee chairperson to restrain him and even the MPs neighboring him tried to restrain him but he didn’t stop,” Nawangwe said.
“On this occasion, the meeting was quite hostile due to the behavior of one member of the committee. Of course as expected because of what had happened at the University, there was a combative mood in the committee but our delegation which had come was in my opinion quite respectful and reserved despite the hot environment and we listened to the committee for close to one and half hours and I didn’t submit any word during the submissions of any MP," he added.
Nawangwe said that Zaake warned him against his attitude saying if he doesn’t change his attitude, he would make sure there was no end to the constant strikes at Makerere University. “When the meeting ended and after I had bade farewell to the chairperson of the committee, Zaake followed me and continued with his threats and pointing at me in a very disrespectful manner and this all, despite all efforts of everybody in the room including my own colleagues to restrain them. He continued to hurl insults at me and even flexing muscles, so the chairperson of the committee took me aside and even started escorting me out of the room,” Prof. Nawangwe said.
The Committee is slated to interface with Zaake on Wednesday as investigations into the conduct continue after Speaker Rebecca Kadaga referred the Legislator for investigation for causing disrepute to Parliament.
On Monday, Jacob Opolot, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Education Committee pinned Zaake for abusing and disrespecting Nawangwe, adding that Zaake’s conduct towards Nawangwe was pre-meditated, unparliamentary, embarrassing and put the image of Parliament into disrepute.
“I will say the conduct of Zaake was so bad. It was so bad. I quickly realized something nasty was going to happen. He was so fully charged, shouted at me and called me a dictator even when actually I gave him more time to submit,” MP Opolot said while appearing before Rules committee.
