At least 10 MPs have been suspended for three sittings of Parliament following a fist fight between MPs Francis Zaake and Anthony Akol over a chair.
Besides Zaake and Akol, the culprits other suspended legislators are: Shamim Malende, Wakayima Musoke, Aloysius Mukasa, and Charles Tebandeke.
Others are: Isiah Sassaga, Asinansi Nyakato, Frank Kabuye, Evans Kanyike and Susan Mugabi.
Zaake and Akol fought in the midst of the controversial debate on the National Coffee Bill, which seeks to collapse the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) into the ministry of Agriculture.
Opposition MPs have vehemently opposed that aspect of the bill.
Before today’s sitting given the high turn up of the MPs, Speaker Anita Among evoked Rule 9 and declared a free sitting. Zaake therefore found a seat behind the speaker’s chair but when he stood up to verbally confront an unidentified colleague, he found when the seat had been occupied by Akol.
Zaake tried to forcefully evict Akol from the seat before a fight broke out. Akol responded with a volley of punches leading Mityana Municipality sprawling on the floor.
Other MPs intervened and Among was forced to adjourn the House for several minutes.
“I want to register my apology to what happened to our colleague sincerely, that wasn’t called for. What happened to Zaake wasn’t called for,” said Among.
She then proceeded to suspend the 10 MPs for being ‘catalysts’ and exhibiting unbecoming behaviour.
Zaake was dramatically rushed to an undisclosed hospital and one of the MPs claimed he had been booked into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
This is the second time Akol is fighting a fellow MP. In the 10th Parliament, he fought with Odonga Otto, the then Aruu County MP.
