Jacob Oulanyah the Deputy Speaker of Parliament refused to rule on a letter by the Aruu County MP Odonga Otto questioning his impartiality while handling the debate on the torture of MPs.
Odonga in the letter dated 5th September 2018 alleges gross irregularities and bias describing the deputy Speaker's conduct as that of a typical National Resistance Movement (NRM) party mobiliser and not that of a speaker.
"On 4th September 2018, the entire parliamentary Hansard and record of debate is majorly full of you the presiding officer, Hon. Gen. Elly Tumwine, Minister for Security and that of Hon. Col Mwesigye Fred, MP Nyabushozi County. This is deplorable and laughable as you reduced a national parliament to a cultural gala," Otto said in the letter.
Odongo explains in a letter that on September 5th 2018, contrary to the parliament rules of procedure which says that the first person to catch the eyes of the Speaker shall be chosen to speak, Oulanyah chose Gen. Tumwine who was not standing up to contribute ignoring other MPs who were standing up.
"In the circumstance, given your obvious biases, direct political leanings, routine and casual sycophancy, I bring to your attention that I will not be attending any session of Parliament, you Hon. Oulanyah will be chairing until the end of this parliament in 2021," Otto threatens.
Otto in his letter requests the Clerk to Parliament Jane Kibirige to give him daily timetable for presiding Speakers so that he does not show up when Oulanyah is presiding.
"I wish to reiterate that your continue stay in that chair is disgrace to yourself, taxpayers, Parliament and the country at large. I hope and pray that one day the Constitution of Uganda will be amended to allow a non-partisan Speaker, at a stature of a High Court judge or Justices of peace be in that Chair," Otto concludes.
Now, the letter circulated on social media like wild fire, prompting the Kawempe North MP Latif Ssebaggala to raise a procedural matter in the plenary session chaired by Oulanyah asking for his guidance on Thursday.
However, Oulanyah explained that it was complicated for him to rule in favour on a matter that is against him but, said that this is the second letter he is receiving from Odonga.
The Deputy speaker also accused Buhweju County MP Francis Mwijukye of spreading misleading information in the media about him. "If you have difficulty understanding what was said, then your problem is really much. If your listening is like you gastric processes where everything that goes in comes out smelling then it becomes a problem" an angry Oulanya said.
He added that Mwijukye had given an interview in the media in which he attacked him for feigning ignorance about Speaker Rebecca Kadaga's letter to President Yoweri Museveni concerning the alleged torture of MPs