Honourable Sarah Opendi has expressed her dismay and disappointment towards the Deputy Speaker Rt Hon Thomas Tayebwa for leaving Hon Cecilia Ogwal’s burial Midway to attend a wedding.
“You excused yourself from the burial and indicated that you had an official function to attend. The Vice President while giving her speech informed the mourners that you left to go and attend a wedding. I felt extremely disappointed and embarrassed and I don’t know how to describe it, whether that isn’t a scandal because ideally, the host of this whole arrangement was Parliament,” said Opendi angrily.
However, the Deputy Speaker apologized and explained that she notified the Vice President before leaving and he did not that it would turn out to be an issue.
“What has has surprised me is that Hon.Opendi was with me today, she never indicated such an issue to me. I wrote a chit to the Vice President, informing her of the issues I have, and seeking her guidance. I was born in a way that I respect people, if she took it that way, I am really sorry. We buried our colleague in peace and I don’t want the burial of our colleague who taught us to be humble to be overridden by whatever individual who has issues. I will personally look for the Vice President and explain it to her. I am sorry about this,” said Tayebwa.
However, a section of Members of Parliament (MPs) including Hon Ssemujju Nganda and Hon Muwanga Kivumbi expressed dissatisfaction with the way Opendi handled the matter, and demanded to have her malicious remarks to be expunged from the hansard.
“I find the statements by Opendi malicious. As much as politics is a game of the beast, we must give it a level of decency that it deserves. There isn’t anywhere in our Rules of Procedure that a Speaker can’t leave a function. For one to come and use this platform and impute wrong motive is a statement that should be expunged on the record,” said Muwanga.
Deputy Speaker however called for calm amongst the MPs saying he wasn’t offended by Opendi’s malicious statement.
But Ssemujju revealed that he was angered by Opendi’s remarks and moved a motion to have her remarks expunged, a motion that received overwhelming support from MPs.
