A commissioner of Uganda’s Parliament has alleged that Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake Butebi is pretending that he does not want money from Anita Annet Among, the Speaker of the 11th Parliament.
Zaake has been in the news since a video of him reportedly throwing an envelope containing Shs10m, a wedding gift from Speaker Among.
The youthful MP of Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) has been at loggerheads with Speaker Among over his social media comments on the head of the legislative assembly. Zaake is said to have to apologized to Speaker Among.
Now, as she normally does when her MPs hold marriage parties, Speaker Among sent some money through Ndorwa East MP Wilfred Nuwagaba, her representative at the party.
According to a card making rounds on social media and according to a commissioner of Parliament, Zaake had personally taken an invitation card to Speaker Among’s office.
In the invitation card, Zaake was inviting Speaker Among to his wedding meetings. But the speaker saw the letter late.
Further more, on September 28, 2022, Speaker Among wrote to Zaake informing him that she would not attend his wedding as invited but would sent a “humble gift of Shs10m.”
“Reference is made to your invitation to the Rt Hon, Speaker to attend your wedding Celebrations slated for Friday, 9th September 2022. The Rt. Hon, Speaker regrets to inform you that due to unforeseen eventualities, she is unable to join you at this special event. The Rt. Hon, Speaker conveys her best wishes to you and your dear wife Bridget on this monumental milestone in your lives,” wrote Among, through Leonard Okema, her acting executive secretary.
“Please accept a humble gift of UGX 10,000,000 (Uganda Shillings Ten Million Only) from the Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament towards your wedding.”
While Ugandans were still attempting to come to terms with how Zaake could invite the speaker to his wedding yet have the guts to throw away her Shs10m gift, Commissioner of Parliament Esther Afoyochan claimed that Zaake had already pocketed Shs20m in cashe from Among’s office.
Afoyochan, who is also the Zombo District Woman MP, further alleged that Zaake had ‘pleaded’ with Among to extend some money to him to finance his wedding.
The commissioner says that Zaake pocketed the Shs20m from Among’s office and reportedly praised her for her generosity.
Afoyochan has now accused Zaake of pretence.
“Zaake, you walked into speaker’s office pleading for her to support your wedding. She gave you 20m cash which you received and thanked her so much, then you pretend to reject 10m in public to make news. I am sorry for NUP,” Commissioner Afoyochan called out Zaake.
EDITOR’S UPDATE: MP Zaake has since Fired Back at Commissioner Afoyochan. (Read Response HERE).
You can see the video showing Zaake reportedly throwing away Speaker Anita Among’s Shs10m gift at his wedding Here.
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