National Unity Platform (NUP) Member of Parliament, Francis Zaake, has been reinstated as a commissioner of the UK Parliament by the Constitutional Court.
On Thursday, September 28, 2023, the Constitutional Court overturned Parliament’s decision to suspend the legislator representing Mityana Municipality. The court cited a violation of parliamentary procedure during the session in which Zaake was suspended.
According to the court’s ruling, Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among did not have the necessary quorum to remove Francis Zaake from his position as commissioner of Parliament.
Zaake had been removed from his role as commissioner due to statements he had made on social media, which were alleged to have damaged the reputation of the Speaker. This led to an investigation by a committee led by Abdu Katuntu, which recommended Zaake’s removal.
In his report to Parliament, Katuntu stated that Zaake had not followed the proper procedures outlined in parliamentary rules but instead used his social media accounts to criticize the Speaker.
“Upon reviewing the submissions and evidence, the committee found that Hon. Zaake did not follow the procedures outlined in the Rules of Procedure to challenge the words of the Presiding Officer, which allegedly prompted him to post the contested social media statements,” he said.
A total of 161 members attended the meeting that resulted in Zaake’s removal from the commissioner’s office. Of these, 155 voted in favor of his removal, while only four defended him.
