Opposition Members of Parliament have walked out of Parliament and refused to take part in today’s plenary sitting, protesting the continued arrest, kidnap & detention of their leaders and supporters.
The MPs said that the gross conduct of the security forces goes against the very notion of Uganda’s independence that was celebrated yesterday.
Yesterday morning during the Independence day celebrations, Police and the UPDF’s Military Police arrested the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya and the party spokesman Joel Ssenyonyi and other supporters at the NUP head offices in Kamwokya where they had gathered for national prayers.
The Deputy Speaker Thomas_Tayebwa however castigated the Opposition for ambushing him with the walkout protest, saying that such a matter should have been discussed between the Leader of Opposition & his office, before the decision of walking out was taken. He added that despite being the presiding officer, he had no powers to stop any MP from walking out.
“This is a level you reach on after interacting with the presiding officer; you don’t ambush the presiding officer that way on the floor. When we are in this House, no one asks me for permission, no one has given me warning that they are walking out, so whoever is to sit and handle business should continue, those who are uncomfortable can move out,” Tayebwa said.
The arrest of the MPs comes a few days after Bobi Wine claimed he was under house arrest after being whisked by security agents on his return from a trip abroad last Thursday.
Opposition MPs dodge Parliament session over arrest and detention of colleagues
