MP Asinasi speaks out on her suspension from parliament
The legislator highlighted that during the session, parliament chambers were filled with armed security personnel, which escalated tensions.
Hoima: The Hoima City Woman Member of Parliament (MP) Asinansi Nyakato,, has voiced concerns following her suspension from the Ugandan Parliament, where she and 11 other MPs were barred from parliamentary sessions for three consecutive sittings.
The suspension occurred amidst heated debates over the National Coffee Amendment Bill, 2024 on Wednesday, November 7, 2024.
Nyakato criticized the Speaker’s decision to suspend them, claiming it was retaliation for their opposition to the bill, which she argues will harm Uganda’s coffee farmers by centralizing the coffee industry under government control.
The legislator highlighted that during the session, parliament chambers were filled with armed security personnel, which escalated tensions.
The contentious session turned chaotic when MP Anthony Akol, representing Kilak North County, took Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake’s seat. When Zaake attempted to reclaim his seat, a physical altercation broke out, with Akol reportedly assaulting Zaake, who later left in an ambulance.
Zaake had earlier raised concerns about a security operative allegedly entering the chambers with a firearm, though a search reportedly found no weapon.
Alongside MP Asinansi Nyakato Kamanda, other MPs suspended include Anthony Akol, Frank Kabuye, Susan Mugabi, Derrick Nyeko, Charles Tebandeke, Ronald Kanyike, and Shamim Malende. Additionally, MPs Aloysius Mukasa, Wakayima Musoke, and Isaiah Ssasaga faced suspension due to their involvement in the incident.
These suspensions followed a chaotic scene in parliament during the debate on the National Coffee Amendment Bill, 2024.
The suspended MPs were part of a vocal opposition, expressing strong concerns that the bill could negatively impact Uganda’s coffee farmers by placing the industry under centralized government control.
Before the chaos ensued, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among invoked Rule 9, declaring a “free sitting” to accommodate the large number of MPs in attendance.
This procedural adjustment set the stage for a particularly tense session as MPs debated the highly controversial National Coffee Amendment Bill, 2024.
President Yoweri Museveni’s administration supported the bill, aiming to dissolve the UCDA and bring the coffee sector under government control. However, this proposal met with strong resistance from both opposition MPs and the public, who argue that centralizing control could threaten the livelihoods of coffee farmers and impact the country’s coffee industry.
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