Parliament’s Committee of Rules, Discipline and Privileges has found General Elly Tumwine, the Security Minister guilty of assaulting Dokolo Woman MP, Cecilia Ogwal.
The committee’s recommendation stems from its investigation into allegations of contempt of parliament levelled against Gen. Tumwine and his alleged attack on Cecilia Ogwal in the corridors of parliament.
In her statement to the committee during the investigations, MP Ogwal said that Gen. Tumwine allegedly attacked her over statements she had made on the floor of parliament pinning him for drawing a gun against her. The alleged confrontation followed a debate in which several MPs accused Tumwine of severally questioning the powers of parliament and directives made by the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga.
Ogwal reported that after the debate in Parliament, Gen. Tumwine confronted her with fury, an action that posed a threat to her life. However, Tumwine told the committee that allegations by Ogwal about threatening her life were in bad faith.
In his report to parliament, the Committee Chairperson Clement Kenneth Ongalo-Obote said that from the conduct of Gen. Tumwine, the Committee found that he actually assaulted MP Ogwal. He defined assault according to Black’s Law dictionary that describes the term as a threat or use of force on another that causes that person to have a reasonable apprehension of imminent harmful or offensive contact.
In its findings, the Committee noted that from the CCTV footage, some details of the interaction between Tumwine and Ogwal were not visible from certain angles and therefore, the CCTV footage wasn’t conclusive making it hard for the Committee to come to conclusion on what had actually transpired, especially with regard to the allegation that Tumwine was almost poking Ogwal’s eye.
The Committee also relied on testimonies from the witnesses and Tumwine’s confirmation that indeed the person he was talking to in the footage was Ogwal with the Committee stating that whereas it is common practice for MPs to continue discussions of the contents of one another’s debates in the House beyond the Chambers, Tumwine’s gestures and proximity to Ogwal were unconventional, dishonourable and an affront to the Member’s immunity and privilege.
It should be noted that on 23rd July 2019, Speaker Rebecca Kadaga directed the Rules Committee to investigate allegations that Tumwine had assaulted Ogwal in the lobbies of Parliament and during the probe, Lily Adong (Nwoya Woman) Lucy Akello (Amuru Woman) all testified in Ogwal’s favour.
However, Tumwine denied the allegations and described as ridiculous and dramatic for Ogwal to say that if she died or if any member of her family died, then Tumwine would be responsible and denied having ever accessed the chambers with a gun during a debate in the 7th Parliament, the same gun Ogwal said Tumwine attempted to pull out on her.
The report also pointed out that the testimonies of the two witnesses corroborate the allegation of the dishonourable and unconventional conduct of Tumwine against Ogwal, describing Tumwine’s attack on Ogwal as a breach of privilege as a Member of Parliament has a right to debate on any matter on the floor of Parliament without fear of retaliation.
The Committee noted that the attack potentially has the effect of intimidating members from freely expressing themselves in debates on certain subjects and concluded that from the conduct of Gen. Tumwine, the Committee finds that he actually assaulted Ogwal.
The report highlighted that assault does not have to involve contact, as long as it causes apprehension of immediate harmful or offensive contact.
The Committee further noted that the general character and attitude of Tumwine when he appeared before the Committee was disrespectful and exhibited poor regard for Parliament and for civilian authority.
“His character and attitude was at variance with the fact that at the beginning of the 10thParliament, he advocated for inclusion in the Rules of Procedure, the position of Father of the House; well knowing he had no competition for the position as the longest serving Member of Parliament with an unbroken record of 33 years. His behaviour contradicted his seniority and status in the country,” the report reads in part.
However, Gaster Mugoya authored a minority report supporting Tumwine and accused the committee of not properly evaluating the evidence in totality, arguing that had the Committee done so, then the committee would not have arrived at such misleading but also erroneous conclusion.
However, his position was rejected by MPs in preference for the majority report.
Tumwine speaks out
Gen Tumwine now says the committee reports pinning him of being a bully and guilty of assault isn’t the end of the story.
“Good enough the Constitution provides for many avenues of how you can redress an issue. I was cleared of contempt for parliament,” he said adding “there was the allegation that I said the words which are claimed by Hon. Katusabe that I violated Article 79.”
“I think [MP] Katusabe and his wife had planned everything. I’m concerned that there are people whose efforts and minds are trying to stop me from talking about the good things of the Movement and where we’ve come from,” he noted.
Gen. Tumwine has castigated these who are stopping him from talking about the achievements of the NRM and “where we’ve come to know that the preamble of our Constitution starts like that.”
He also claimed that a section of MPs are propagating lies to tarnish his name and that of other historicals.
“When I’m speaking, I use my finger. Hon. [Cecilia] Ogwal went ahead to say I used it as a gun. In parliament we don’t carry guns, we use our words and brains to argue,” he said adding; “who else loves this Parliament which I’ve been defending for 33 years more than me?
He also claimed that in the 33 years he has been been checking whether the security system works also every specified time.
“You should never apologise against the truth. I’m here waiting for Hon Cecilia Ogwal’s apology regarding her accusations of me holding a gun towards her. I’m as well waiting for an apology from Hon. Katusabe saying he and his wife abused my efforts and willingness to solve a problem. I’m willing to solve this matter with anybody. If you’re a leader, be ready to be talked about. People are free and that’s the freedom we fought for. Those who don’t want to talk about the freedom we fought for should go to hell.”
Parliamentary Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline probed into the conduct of Gen. Tumwine, after allegations of uttering statements aimed at belittling Parliament and the person of the Speaker.
The probe report adopted by Parliament on Wednesday indeed observed that Gen Tumwine attempted to assault Dokolo District Woman MP Cecilia Ogwal.
