Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT & URN | Two protesters who Wednesday afternoon jumped into Uganda Parliament’s Chamber from the visitors gallery, are being interrogated by the police.
Speaker Rebecca Kadaga halted today’s plenary for a few minutes as the Sergeant at Arms apprehended the two strangers. Debate resumed when that was done.
When the session resumed, Kadaga warned protesters to seek other ways of raising their issues, and other venues for demonstrations, as disrupting a parliament session is unlawful.
Parliament denied initial reports that gun were shots fired in the House during the fracas.
A statement left by the 2 men that jumped into @Parliament_Ug chamber. Charles Mutasa Kefeero who calls himself the commander of the Red Top Movement Uganda is a 2021 presidential aspirant pic.twitter.com/nGdThlH8Wb
— Sadab Kitatta (@sadabkitatta79) February 19, 2020
‘Red top brigade’
The two men who donned red tops are linked to red top brigade and reportedly protested president Yoweri Museveni’s leadership.
They have since been identified as Dafaala Ssenjako and Mutaasa Kafero who calls himself the red top commander. They have been arrested and are being interrogated.
They entered Parliament with documents distributing documents, titled ‘A letter to Africa and Uganda, stop cropping out citizens’.
They jumped from the strangers gallery in parliament this afternoon to the floor of the house. The incident happened at 4pm.
The house became chaotic when the two men then started attacking MPs in indiscriminately. But some MPs fought back. The men jumped to where the MPs sat towards the side of the National Resistance Movement MPs.
Simon Oyet, the Nwoya MP and Sports Minister Hamson Obua who were attacked by one of the people fought back and participated in dragging one of the attackers out. Oyet says Parliament cannot be attacked by any one.
Internal affairs Minister Obiga Kania ordered that no one else be allowed to enter Parliament, as investigations continue.
The Speaker of Parliament Kadaga decried the unfortunate incidence in the house and asked MPs to stay inside until when the motives of the two are established.