Tension in Parliament as MP Atkins Katusabe Denounces Claims of Defection to PFF

By Hason Mutunzi Bwambale
Parliament of Uganda | June 12, 2025

A storm is brewing in Uganda’s Parliament after Hon. Atkins Katusabe, the Member of Parliament for Bukonzo County West in Kasese District, publicly distanced himself from claims that he had defected from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) to the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF).

During today’s Budget Day plenary session, the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among, in her formal communication to the House, read out Hon. Katusabe’s name among Members of Parliament alleged to have crossed to PFF.

But in a strongly worded and urgent response, Katusabe dismissed the pronouncement as false, unauthorized, and a breach of parliamentary procedure and constitutional guidelines.

“Uganda’s Speaker of Parliament, the Right Honorable Anita Annet Among, a very close friend of mine, made an awful mistake that could attract legal ramifications against her as the head of the institution and Parliament as a whole,” Katusabe stated.

He further emphasized that at no point did he write to or authorize anyone to make such an announcement on his behalf:

“I have never written to her or her office, neither did I ever serve anybody with a written official or verbal authorization to read my name in such a manner. I must thoroughly establish the motive behind this gross oversight—as soon as immediately,” he added.

Katusabe decried the inclusion of his name as not only inaccurate but also unconstitutional and in violation of the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure.

“Reading my name during today’s Plenary Budget Speech severely offends not only our Rules of Procedure but also the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda,” he stressed.

Speaking to this publication on his way to Kampala from Kasese, the visibly agitated legislator confirmed he was en route to Parliament to seek an urgent audience with the Speaker.

“I am now heading to Parliament to seek urgent audience with the Rt. Hon. Speaker to right this severe procedural and constitutional wrong,” he said.

The incident has sparked questions within political and legal circles, with analysts noting that such an error—if not corrected—could have far-reaching implications for party representation and parliamentary legitimacy.

Neither the Office of the Speaker nor the Clerk to Parliament had issued a formal response to Hon. Katusabe’s statement by press time.

This is a developing story.