Zaake’s Removal from the Parliamentary Commission Opened the Way for Service Awards, Says Ssenyonyi

Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP) Joel Ssenyonyi has accused members of the Parliamentary Commission of frustrating Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake’s accountability concerns.

Ssenyonyi made this revelation while appearing on NTV’s Ebigambo Tebitta show on Saturday morning.

According to Ssenyonyi, the outspoken Zaake’s battles were sparked by his concern for accountability.

“When Hon. Zaake was still Chairperson of the Parliamentary Commission’s Audit Subcommittee, he actively pursued various matters until he was eventually removed. Afterwards, there were suspicious awards of funds to themselves,” Joel Ssenyonyi said.

Zaake’s woes

In 2022, Zaake was suspended from his position as commissioner of parliament. His censure was ignited by Bardege-Layibi Division MP, Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, who filed a motion against him. The motion for Zaake’s removal from the parliamentary commission was over abusive tweets he posted targeting then Deputy Speaker Anita Among as an individual and as a presiding officer. Parliament referred the matter to the Rules, Privileges, and Discipline Committee of Parliament. The Abdu Katuntu committee found Zaake guilty of making statements that brought parliament into disrepute, breaching the rule on public trust and confidence under the Code of Conduct of MPs.

In a post made on February 9, 2022, Zaake said Among was a dishonest person who lacked “intelligential prowess.”

However, according to Ssenyonyi, this was used as an excuse to get rid of an agitated Zaake.

Over the last couple of months, the Parliamentary Commission has faced scrutiny over irregular expenditure of money. This was sparked by an online Parliamentary Exhibition that exposed commissioners for awarding themselves shs 1.7 billion for their service.

It is also not the first time that LOP Ssenyonyi has expressed dissatisfaction with the Commission headed by Speaker Anita Among. Just last week, Ssenyonyi accused the Speaker of sidelining him from commission meetings. He said that since his appointment as LOP in January, he had never been invited to any meeting yet the commission sits secretly.