The Speaker of Parliament, Anitah Among, declined approval for Francis Zaake, the MP for Mityana Municipality, as Deputy Chief Whip, citing the absence of this position in the Rules and Procedures of Parliament.
Among stated, “We do not have the position of Deputy Chief Whip in our Rules of Procedure. Please withdraw it. We have a whip, which is yourself, but no deputy in our Rules of Procedure. If someone holds such a position, it is not valid.”
This decision followed Chief Opposition Whip John Baptist Nambeshe’s attempt to assign Zaake both Shadow Minister of Presidency and Security roles, along with Deputy Chief Whip, a move the Speaker halted, prompting the opposition to retract their decision.
It’s noteworthy that Zaake’s relationship with Speaker Among soured after a prior incident in Parliament. Last year, the Constitutional Court nullified the resolution to remove Zaake as a parliamentary commissioner due to a lack of quorum.
Zaake contested this decision in court, expressing frustration with Speakers Among and Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa for allegedly preventing him from speaking in Parliament since his censure. Zaake argues that such actions are unacceptable, given his role as a representative of the people.
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