EALA to decide Zziwa fate today
Jun 04, 2014
The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) is slated to decide today whether to proceed with a motion to censure Speaker Margaret Zziwa, after Court decided it is within its ambit.
By Joyce Namutebi and Cyprian Musoke
The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) is slated to decide today whether to proceed with a motion to censure Speaker Margaret Zziwa, after Court decided it is within its ambit.
In its recent ruling, Principal Judge Jean Bosco Butasi, Deputy Principal Judge Isaac Lenaola and Justice Monica Mugenyi said the decision on such motion is provided for in the rules of the assembly.
The first instance division of the East African Court of Justice further contended that no material was adduced before it to suggest that impeachment of the Speaker was an infringement of the EAC treaty.
Reacting to the ruling, EALA MP Mukasa Mbidde, who filed the application to refrain the assembly from proceeding with the matter, said the ruling gives EALA the latitude to determine how to proceed over the matter.
Mbidde further revealed that EALA yesterday had a debate, which was paralysed because the Tanzanian MPs had withdrawn their signatures.
“Considering the ruling, EALA has been given full powers to determine the censure or not of the Speaker. Today (Tuesday) we had a full debate which suffered paralysis due to the withdrawal of signatures of Tanzanian MPs. In effect, the motion no longer exists. It is dead and has been buried in the history of the community,” he said.
The rules require the motion to be endorsed by not less than four MPs from each member state.
Zziwa said it was as well that members withdraw, because what she was being accused of was malicious. “They were just self-seeking individuals,” she said.
Other MPs were reluctant to talk about the issue, arguing that it was illegal since it was still before the courts of law. “It is illegal to discuss Assembly issues outside Parliament,” Abubakar Zein, a Kenyan member said.
President Yoweri Museveni last month met Ugandan EALA MPs and convinced them, and later other regional heads of state to stop the members from impeaching the Speaker.
Some MPs accuse Zziwa for succumbing to what they called “external influence”.
Zziwa’s husband also Kampala NRM chairman Francis Babu told New Vision that some members just want the Speaker out because she refused to advocate for their salary increment.
Court added that the Treaty gives mandate to the Assembly.
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