Mityana Municipality Member of Parliament, Francis Zaake has threatened to drag his Kilak North counterpart, Anthony Akol to court for assaulting him on the floor of the House.The incident occurred during the plenary session on Wednesday.
Tensions were already high as lawmakers prepared to debate the coffee bill which scrapped the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) and integrated it into the Ministry of Agriculture.
As plenary session commenced, Zaake alleged that there was a man with a gun inside the chambers of Parliament.
The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among then requested the Sergeant at Arms to perform a security check on the accused. The check confirmed no gun.
Still unconvinced, Zaake conducted his own search on the man.
Shortly afterward, as the Speaker instructed lawmakers to sit, Zaake is seen standing in front of Akol.
Zaake then shoved Akol off the seat and sat down, seemingly indicating that Akol had taken his seat while he had gone to the microphone to raise a concern about a man entering the parliamentary chambers with a gun.
Following this, Akol retaliated, landing strong punches on Zaake.
The whole house then plunged into chaos, with Speaker also vacating her seat and suspending the House for 30 months.
Zaake was punched following a heated debate in Parliament
Zaake was rushed to Nsambya hospital for treatment.
At his hospital bed, Zaake said that Akol had taken his seat while he had temporarily vacated it to go to the microphone to raise a concern about a man entering parliament with a gun.
Zaake has since been discharged.
After leaving the hospital, Zaake said he was taking legal action against Akol.
“Upon being discharged from hospital, I have instructed my lawyers to take swift legal action against Mr. Akol Anthony (MP Kilak North) for physically assaulting me like a wild animal on the floor of Parliament as we debated the coffee Bill,” Zaake posted on his X (formerly Twitter) platform.
Zaake’s lawyer, Erias Lukwago of Lukwago and Co. Advocates has since written to Akol with intention to sue.
“Our client avers that on the 6th day of November 2024, during a parliamentary session discussing the National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024, you, Hon. Anthony Akol, physically assaulted and battered our client by repeatedly punching him in and/or around his head, causing him to fall to the ground and sustain injuries. Your barbaric attack, perpetrated in the presence of other Members of Parliament, captured on official parliamentary footage, and circulated widely on national and international media, resulted in our client requiring medical attention and suffering both physical and emotional trauma. It also aggravated the trauma occasioned upon him by past incidents of torture,” Lukwago’s letter to Akol reads in part.
“The violent actions you exhibited towards our client constitute a grave violation of his personal rights and amount to the torts of assault and battery. By this letter, therefore, we hereby give you formal notice of our client’s intention to institute legal proceedings against you in a competent court of law unless you make immediate amends to fully redress the pain, suffering, and indignity occasioned by your misconduct,” it adds.
Lukwago demanded Akol to issue an ‘unequivocal” apology to Zaake on the floor of Parliament or make a monetary atonement to our Zaake “adequate enough to ameliorate the damage and injury occassioned upon him by your violent actions.”
Failure or refusal to comply with the demands, Lukwago said court proceedings against Akol will commence.
In response, Akol said he will defeat Zaake in court.
“You started it before and lost. You have started it again, I can assure you that you will still lose. Lukwago is going to eat your money for nothing. No one has taken me to court and won especially if you were first to fight me. This is not the first time,” Akol posted on X.
Akol has since started a war of words against NUP, Zaake’s political party.
The NUP party, Akol said, is full of “hooligans.”
Parliament Brawl Escalates: MP Zaake to Sue Akol for ‘Wild Animal’ Assault in Chambers
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