Speaker Anita Directs Parliament to Expell Opposition MPs Who are Boycotting Plenary Sessions.

📸: Rt Hon Anita Annet Among, Speaker of Parliament.

Speaker Anita Among has told off MPs attacking her on social media over her decision to expel MPs who have chosen not to attend plenary sitting, saying she’s immune to their attacks because the impasse on human rights violations was created by the Executive, and not Parliament.

"Those who go to social media, TVs, radios attacking me over what I am supposed to do, telling you to be in the House, don’t waste your energy, because I am now immune, I am immune to your attacks. All I want is people to be in the house to do what you are sent to do, be productive. You are here to serve the nation, so if you can’t be here to serve the nation, then the Rules will apply. And when we discipline one person, we aren’t disciplining the party, it will be a personal liability," said Speaker Among.

Dan Kimosho (Kazo County) asked the Speaker to also ban Opposition MPs boycotting Plenary sitting from eating food from the Parliament canteen.

"On the issues of absenteeism, maybe your directive should extend to the canteen, but also the Chairperson of Sports that you are directing to remove others from the list is part of the absentees, so you may need to appoint an acting chairperson of the interim," said Kimosho.

The Speaker also asked the MPs who have chosen to boycott plenary sittings to write to her individually, saying they weren’t voted as a group and she will determine whether to approve their absence from Parliament or not.

"Whereas we are cognizant that some MPs are absent from the House, I am yet to receive individual letters, asking for permission to be out of the house. It is strict liability not to be courteous. We take personal liability, we were voted individually not as a team, so I am yet to receive from persons who are absent from the House," Among.

 Speaker Among also ordered the Clerk to Parliament, to impose on MPs boycotting plenary sittings not to be allowed to attend Committees, and travels abroad, wondering why these MPs should be allowed to represent Uganda at the East African games in December in Rwanda, yet they aren’t representing their voters in Parliament.

"There are people who have deliberately decided to excuse themselves from the House, but they will want to represent parliament in Kigali. So I am telling the Chairman of the Sports Club in Parliament that those who are out of the House, should be got out of the list,whether they are goal keepers or what, they should be gotten out of the list. Because if you can’t be in the House, you should be able to represent your House first from here, before you go to represent us in the EAC games," added Among.