When she was sworn in as Speaker of Parliament last year, the Bukedea District Woman MP, Anita Among (NRM) appealed to MPs to work as one family as they strive to turn the House into a pro-people’s Parliament.

However, some MPs are like co-wives.  They don’t see eye-to-eye. Even efforts to reconcile them have all fallen flat as MPs continue to bay for each other’s blood at Parliament.

SSEMUJJU-MAFABI

In fact, a clear observation of the behaviour of some MPs around the corridors of Parliament indicates that if Kira Municipality MP, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda (FDC) meets the Budadiri West MP, Nathan Nandala Mafabi (FDC) in the lobby, the other simply turns back to avoid meeting.

Ssemujju and Mafabi beef emanates from a deep fall-out within the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). As a result, the FDC has since replaced Ssemujju as the FDC party whip in Parliament by the Mawokota South MP, Yusuf Nsibambi (FDC).

AMONG-ZAAKE

The other MPs who can’t share a lift at Parliament include the Speaker herself, Among, and the Mityana Municipality MP, Francis Zaake (NUP).

The bloody beef with Among started when he took to social media to attack her and Parliament over a number of issues.

However, Parliament pushed back, and in the process, Zaake lost his position on the Parliamentary Commission, which is chaired by the Speaker.

When reconciliation failed, Zaake petitioned court, and last month, court quashed Among’s decision to remove Zaake from the Parliamentary Commission on grounds that she offended the rules of natural justice and had no quorum in Parliament when the decision to expel Zaake was taken by the House.

KINYAMATAMA-ZAAKE

Yet as Zaake warmed up to return to the Parliamentary Commission, he was returned to the committee on rules, discipline and privileges for a fresh probe.

Reason: He allegedly defamed Rakai District Woman MP, Juliet Kinyamatama (Independent).

These two are now sworn enemies. In fact, Kinyamatama said: “We don’t want Zaake anymore in the House.”

Kinyamatama alleges that during a political rally in her constituency recently, Zaake described her as a “political” curse that should not have been voted.

Kinyamatama argued that an attack on one woman is an attack on all women in Parliament.

“Let that video be played. I want the world to see what he said. Why are we covering evil? An attack on a woman is an attack on all of us as female MPs. I have been keeping my cool, but I want this house to see what exactly happened. We can’t cover men who don’t respect women,” Kinyamatama said, demanding that a video footage of Zaake’s alleged defamatory remarks against her be broadcast before MPs.

And when the video was played, it angered female legislators.

MPs who are close to these two said the hatred thread between these two youthful legislators is too deep to an extent that not even God can reconcile them.

NABBANJA-LUMUMBA

This silent battle is not always in full glare of cameras. It, however, took centre stage recently during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, US. The Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, who is also the Kakumiro District Woman MP (NRM), publicly rebuked the Minister for General Duties, Justine Kasule Lumumba, for travelling to US without her approval.

“I was shocked to see her at the convention centre in New York,” Nabbanja said.

“Lumumba is my subordinate; I supervise her. She only conducts business allocated to her by myself and this time, I did not send her to the UN,” she added, accusing Lumumba of fighting her through proxies.

Senior officials from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has since called upon these two to reconcile.

ONEK-NABBANJA

Still under the Office of the Prime Minister, the Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Hilary Obaloker Onek, who is also the Palabek County MP (NRM) last year shocked the country when he said that he is contemplating resignation over what he described as Prime Minister Nabbanja’s “micromanagement”.

During the quarrel, Nabbanja responded by accusing Onek of lack of discipline, dogging her meetings and failure to cope with the pace at which she conducts business at the Office of the Prime Minister.

SSEMUJJU-NABBANJA

At one time during plenary, the Prime Minister asked Ssemujju to explain to her what she did to him so that she can initiate the process of burying a hatchet. In the eyes of Nabbanja, the Kira Municipality MP was like that noisy mosquito with a high-pitched buzzing sound at midnight.

Distractive all the time, the MP always picks on the Prime Minister during Parliament and outside the House. These two, MPs said, are akin to Villa FC and Express FC fans—they will never stay together in a room without fighting.

In fact, at one time Nabbanja alleged that Ssemujju was one of the proxies that her enemies had deployed to torment her.

ALUPO-OGWANG

The Vice President, Major (rtd) Jessica Alupo, who is also the Katakwi District Woman MP (Independent), and the State Minister for Sports, Peter Ogwang, who is also the Ngariam County MP (NRM), are the other MPs, sources said, need to reconcile. The political beef between these two rotates around local Katakwi politics. However, of late, sources said, the two are on the path of reconciliation.

AYUME-ANITE EVELYNE

The Fall-out between these two is hinged on local politics. The Koboko Municipality MP, Dr Charles Ayume (NRM) resigned from his job at State House in the run-up to the 2021 general elections and dislodged the State Minister for Investment, Evelyn Anite, who at one time described herself as the gate-way to Koboko. From that time, Anite and Ayume are sworn political enemies.

NABAKOOBA-BAGALA

Just like the Ayume-Anite fall-out, the political differences between Mityana District Woman MP, Joyce Bagala (NUP) and the Minister for Lands, Judith Nabakooba, was triggered by elective politics. Bagala, a journalist, ousted Nabakooba from her Mityana district Woman MP seat during the 2021 general elections. From that time, the duo became sworn political enemies.

Nabakooba contested Bagala’s victory. The High Court in Mubende ruled that there was voter bribery and multiple voting during the polls in Mityana and ordered fresh polls, but the Court of Appeal rescued Bagala.

NAMUGANZA-AMONG

The State Minister for Housing, Persis Namuganza, who is also the Bukono County MP (NRM) got into the bad books of the Speaker when she engaged in what MPs described as “obnoxious and reckless” attacks against the Speaker and Parliament.

The committee that laid the ground for her censure was chaired by Mbarara South Division MP, Mwine Mpaka Rwamirama (NRM).

In his report, Mpaka said Namuganza’s actions were an “attack on the person of the Speaker and Parliament without due regard to the Rules of Procedure, the protected status, the procedure of redress, the applicability of privilege and decorum of the House.”

Out of 348 MPs voted to censure her, five voted against the move, while three abstained.

But will these politicians reconcile?

According to some seasoned politicians, there should be a mechanism of distilling what forms Parliamentary business, issues of national importance and petty issues that are not uttered or discussed within the confines of the House.

The need to separate politics outside Parliament from politics inside Parliament is the other issue that experts have advised MPs to take up.

“What politicians speak during political campaigns should not be brought to the House. It should not also be discussed as an issue of national importance. This is because it is issues pertaining to Parliamentary work that should be brought to the House to be discussed and scrutinised,” Winnie Kiiza, the former Kasese District Woman MP, said.