Odonga Otto Tips Zaake to Use Beer to Subdue Fiercely Strong Akol

"Free advice; it’s not wise for a dog to bark at an elephant. Take him to a beer festival and handle him there, where he might calm down."

NATIONAL | For Samson, it was the hair that Delilah dealt with, for Ahab it was a small god that Jezebel brought in and for Akol, it should be beer.

At least that is what former Aruu County MP Samuel Odonga Otto believes will help Francis Zaake deal a crashing blow to the legislator whose iron fist is more dreaded than that with which Mike Tyson subdued opponents at his prime.

"At a social level, despite the size, he can hardly finish a bottle of beer," Otto tipped Zaake.

"He blacks out and it knocks him down. That’s how fragile his system is."

Mityana Municipality MP Zaake was on Wednesday battered to cabbage by Kilak North's Anthony Akol during a chaotic session in Parliament.

Otto, who experienced firsthand the weight of Akol's fist in 2020, said it was not wise to provoke Akol whose whiff of the first alone can fell a giant tree.

"I dodged the punch once, but the wave alone was massive. It's not wise to provoke him," Otto said.

"Free advice; it’s not wise for a dog to bark at an elephant. Take him to a beer festival and handle him there, where he might calm down."

The humorous exchange happened on X, formerly Twitter, where Zaake had taken to announce that he had been discharged from hospital and demanded apology and damages from Akol for assault and battery.

Otto expressed concerns over what he called "immature" behaviour in Ugandan politics. He specifically referred to Akol as having "issues neck upwards," alluding to what he described as Akol's frequent lapses in judgment and unpredictable temperament.

He urged Zaake to reconsider his approach to politics, advising him to adopt a more mature stance.

"It’s about time Zaake grows up and changes his kind of politics," Otto stated. "We were all there. It can’t be the same person being struck by lightning 10 times in a day. Next time you begin a fight, consider starting it near Mityana cemetery—advisably, not with Akol Anthony."

Zaake, on the other hand, has continued to assert that his actions were driven by the need to stand up for what he believes is right, despite the physical nature of the confrontation.

"Politics in Uganda has become a game of intimidation, but I won’t back down," Zaake said in a brief statement following the fight.

On Friday, Akol issued a statement defending his actions and warning Zaake that any provocation would lead to similar beatings.

"I don’t quarrel with people, but when attacked, I respond. Don’t push me — it's like challenging an elephant," Akol said.