Two men adorning red berets on Wednesday disrupted plenary sitting of parliament when they jumped from the public gallery and started distributing leaflets that had messages against the government.

The two men who have since been arrested were identified as Datala Ssenjako and Charles Mutasa Kafeero both residents of Kawempe. They identified themselves as the Red Top Brigade. The two strangers, arrested by the Police and Sergeant-At-Arms were escorted out of the Chamber as the House continued on with its business on the Order Paper. No one was hurt in the incident.

In of the notes they dumped in parliament, two accused Members of Parliament of being corrupting saying that all the corrupting in Uganda begins in Parliament. They stated that the parliament, therefore, has no moral authority to discuss graft.

They said MPs had taken bribes to lift the Presidential term limits.

They also relayed in their notes that no one has a right to ban the red beret except themselves.

MPs were at the time of the attack debating a ministerial statement on the upcoming Land Information Systems Conference due later this week in Kampala.

Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga was horrified at the incident just like any other member of parliament. Kadaga condemned the attack and said the two would be punished.

Speaker Kadaga said that under Section 18 (f) of the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act, it is an offence for any person to create any disturbance which interrupts or is likely to interrupt parliamentary proceedings adding that, ‘therefore, the two strangers have committed an offence punishable under the law’.

She said that any person(s) who wishes to demonstrate can do so in compliance with the law, but in other places outside Parliament.

“There are other ways and places of demonstrating or being dramatic; you can go to the National Theatre or the Constitutional Square and express yourself dramatically,” she added.

Contrary to social media reports, Parliament says there were no gunshots fired or heard within the Chamber of Parliament. No firearms are permitted in the Chamber.

“The noise heard was as a result of the breakage of a glass cover of one of the tube lightings that was damaged as the strangers jumped into the Chamber,” reads a statement issued by Parliament.
Investigations into the isolated incident are ongoing.