In an unexpected turn of events, the Ugandan Parliament was forced to adjourn a session after a chaotic scene unfolded in the chambers.
The parliamentary session had to be suspended after a female member of parliament attempted to rough up a male colleague for making insulting statements about a female MP.
Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake was chastised when a video showing him abusing Rabai Woman MP Juliet Kinyamatama was shown in the House, leading Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa to suspend the meeting to Tuesday the following week.
Before the event, Kinyamatama had requested that the House broadcast the video and take action against Zaake for making unprintable words against her during Uganda’s Independence Day celebrations on Monday.
Kinyamatama told the monitor that On October 9, one of their members, Hon. Zaake, came to her constituency and used defamatory words against her that were too vile to mention.
Some MPs objected to Kinyamatama’s request because it had not been included in the plenary agenda, but Tayebwa ruled that she had every right to raise the issue.
Tayebwa then determined that the video would not be shown in the House but that the complaint would be referred to the House’s Disciplinary Committee for examination.
Due to Kinyamatama’s adamance, the Deputy Speaker revoked his first decision and permitted the film to be broadcast. A commotion broke out in the House when the video started playing, leading Tayebwa to call a ten-minute break.