Police at Parliament on Thursday stormed the residence of Mityana Municipality legislator, Francis Zaake and took off with the government car found there.
According to Chris Obore, the Director Communications and Public Affairs, Parliament of Uganda, security acted on the directives of the Clerk to Parliament. The retrieved car Reg. Number UG 0333H belongs to the Parliamentary Commission.
“The action was prompted by Honorable Zaake’s refusal to return Government property that by policy is supposed to be driven by an official driver,” Obore says in a statement.
He explains that the Clerk to Parliament had severally advised the lawmaker, now out of the country, to follow the guidelines governing management of government fleet and return the car but he declined.
Obore says after retrieving the vehicle, it was delivered to Parliament where it is currently parked.
Zaake ceased being a Parliamentary Commissioner in March last year following a vote on motion moved to have him out on grounds of misconduct.
In a secret ballot conducted out of 161 members of Parliament, 155 MPs voted to remove Zaake from the Parliament Commission while only four MPs voted against the proposal to remove Zaake. There were two invalid votes registered.
Zaake’s removal came after Parliament also adopted the report of the Committee of Rules, Discipline and Privileges with amendments presented by Chairperson, Hon. Abdu Katuntu.
The vote followed debate of the report of the committee that found Zaake in breach of public trust and confidence. Zaake was probed for statements he made on social disparaging the Deputy Speaker, Anita Among.
During plenary sessions to honour Parliament and staff who had participated in the East African Legislative Assembly Games in Arusha, Tanzania the Deputy Speaker said although Zaake was reportedly tortured and had a broken leg, he brought back a gold medal for Parliament.
This prompted Zaake to go on social media where he authored the statements for which he was found guilty.
In his report, Abdu Katuntu said that Zaake did not protect the integrity of Parliament but instead his conduct brought the entire Parliament and its leadership into disrepute.
Katuntu said that the statement with undermined the dignity and integrity of the Office of the Speaker.
He added that Zaake’s statements lowered the esteem of the institution of Parliament in the eyes of the citizens who ought to look up to their Leaders.
“Following an evaluation of the submissions and evidence, the committee observes that Hon. Zaake did not take steps as provided in the Rules of Procedure to challenge the words of the Presiding Officer which allegedly led him to post the impugned social media posts. This is clearly so upon examining his statements made to the committee,” he said in his report.
The Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, said Zaake would apologise to the House within one week adding that the Opposition will have to propose another name for the position.
However, the youthful legislator did not apologize but instead petitioned Court challenging his removal from parliamentary commission.
Through his lawyers led by the Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, Zaake said that parliament had no quorum to have him removed from the commission. He wants the court to nullify parliament’s decision and order for his reinstatement as commissioner of parliament.
He accused the Rules Committee members of Receiving Shs 6m worth taxpayers money as a reward for participating in the Committee proceedings that resulted in his removal from office.
Court is yet to pronounce itself on the matter.