MP hospitalized after fistfight in Uganda Parliament

MADRID 6 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –

At least one Ugandan parliamentarian was hospitalized this Wednesday after a fist fight in the chamber during a debate on an amendment to the National Coffee Law, incidents that also resulted in the suspension of twelve deputies and the temporary suspension of procedures .

The Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, Anita Annet Among, has confirmed the suspension of twelve parliamentarians for “serious misconduct”, according to a brief message published by the legislative body through its account on the social network X.

The fight broke out after MP Francis Zaake tried to forcibly remove Anthony Akol from his chair, who had sat in it while the former had gotten up to speak.

Zaake himself, who has been hospitalized after receiving numerous punches from Akol during the scuffle, had expressed during his speech his concern for the safety of the parliamentarians by stating that some people had entered the chamber armed.

However, Among has stated that the person the parliamentarian was referring to was his bodyguard. When trying to sit back down in his seat, Zaake tried to lift Akol from his chair, who stood up abruptly and began to hit the parliamentarian before the fight spread, causing the Speaker of Parliament to flee.

The live broadcast by the Parliament channel on YouTube has focused its cameras on the attitude of Among, who at first stood watching the fray before leaving the scene due to the expansion of the fight. Images of Zaake on a stretcher being transferred to a hospital have subsequently circulated.

Among has specified that among the suspended parliamentarians are Zaake and Akol, who will not be able to participate in the next three sessions, as reported by the Ugandan newspaper ‘Daily Monitor’. Authorities have beefed up security in and around Parliament as a result of these incidents.