Uganda: Clarification from the Office of the DPP on the Kanyamunya Case (01.11.2018)

Uganda: UPDF and Guardian Primary School Authorities Standoff (13.02.2018)

UPDF: “Allegations by Lt. John Harrison Obote” (18.01.2018)

Uganda Law Society Statement on Attacks on Lawyers in Line of Duty (18.07.2017)

Letter to the DPP from UAP: “Re: Industrial Action from the Uganda Association of Prosecuters” (11.07.2017)

Another Day, Another Bail hearing for Besigye as his treason case is now 413 days old!

To say that Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leader and former Presidential Candidate Dr. Warren Kizza Besigye Kifefe (as almost everyone knows as Kizza Besigye), knows the court system of Uganda and knows the terms of his proceedings. He is still charged with treason, he was first charged in Moroto Magistrate Court on the 13^th May 2016, which means his pending trial has lasted 1 year 1 month and 17 days in total or 413 days to be exact. That is severe violation and his times for bail hearings has been steady since then. Before this at least twice he has already vowed not to come back to Nakawa Court. Which isn’t strange, but that he does again today. Hopefully he will continue with defiance within his own realm, since that is needed. The State is clearly stalling time and keeping him at bay, with the easy monitoring of his acts and appearances all around in the Republic.

Here is today’s statement after being again at the Nakawa Magistrate Court after another bond/bail-hearing:

“Some time back, I had decided not to come to Nakawa court, but at that time, my bail reporting which was at the high court (Registrar) was shifted to Nakawa Magistrate Court. I have been reporting here both for bail and therefore for appearance in the Magistrate Court. I think the time has come to also say no to the bail because it is the bail that was still bringing me here. So I have informed my lawyer that I will not come back to this court over this matter. They can cancel the bail, I have no problem at all- they can cancel the bail and take me back to prison if that is their wish. From today, I will not come back to Nakawa Magistrate court for appearance or for bail. I will not appear in this court on 1st, Sept, 2017.” – Dr. Kizza Besigye

All who has followed the situation or understand the simple plain fact, that if the government had a case against Dr. Kizza Besigye, it would been in the works and the bail-hearings would just continue. Since they haven’t really started any investigation or planned anything. If it was so, there would be more collecting evidence against him and the FDC Party. Because if this was a serious case, they would have done more with the first days after the General Election in 2016 and the Swearing-In.

But the Police Force and the State Legal Team hasn’t considered or done so, this has been for a show and been to keep the FDC and Besigye occupied. Not a serious charge, neither an honest investigation into the supposed crimes against the state. If the republic really feared Besigye and though of him as an arch-criminal, they would have made sure he was indicted and gone through the court process. Therefore, the whole operation has been to stop him from working against the state. But not really trying him for treason.

Unless, they have reports and affidavits of the ones knowingly of his acts of treason comes forward, unless the justices and judges are making a case worth damn. Which seem unlikely at this point, since May 2016 has left, the same has May 2017. Its over a year and nothing. Tiwali, non, any kind of way you say nothing. Besigye if he had done anything treacherous they would have actually gotten the intelligence and the culprits together with him. They would have all been soaking time in Nalufenya. Were none of the bandits that tried to counter the state are kept. Certainly a man who does a treasonous usually doesn’t do it alone.

But hey, maybe the Republic and the Courts has some answers for their one period of keeping the suspense and has some secrets at the Okello House, as there usually all acts of the State is sanctioned from. Peace.

UPDF: Military Police has not taken over Police Powers and Resources (21.06.2017)

Uganda: UPF Circular – “Individual Responsibility for Court Awards Arising out of Police Action” (13.06.2017)

Uganda: UPF Circular – “Arresting People for the Offence of Idle and Disorderly” (13.06.2017)

#SOTNUG17: A look into the Policing the NRM Way!

He was at it again for the 31^st time or 30^th since he didn’t do this in first year after the coup d’etat. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. That being the old-man-with-the-hat having his first State of the Union in 1987. Times are changing but he is still not caring about facts or using his tricks to make himself look like a genius and savior. Even if there are far from it and makes sure the others are to blame. That is what President Museveni do. Therefore, I am just looking at parts of his speech, since there are many details and many things you could put a finger on and discuss. As it could be as simple as explaining the roads funds and research the pledged roads, which he said today was all paid by Government of Uganda (GoU), while if you look over the previous funding of the roads you would see the money might be foreign. Instead, I will look the security issues, the torture and the Policing. Because it is so important and the man trust IGP Kale Kayihura so much, who has made the Police a long-arm of the ruling regime. With that in mind, I had to focus on this and not on all the other subjects that the President spoke about. Take a look!

“The Police do not have to wait for the crime to be committed. Through good intelligence, most crimes can be prevented. Most of the suspects arrested after the murder of Kawesi and others, even if they were not involved in the killing of Kawesi, they had committed other capital offences, many of which carry death sentences or life imprisonment. Why, then, were they still in circulation? That means somebody was not doing his or her work” (Museveni, 2017).

Mr. President, why wasn’t these men caught for the other cases, than the murder case of the AIGP Andrew Kaweesi. This case has been public and there been an awesome amount of possible suspects. These has been hundreds and even the kids of suspects has been detained. Therefore, that all of these might have other crimes on their hands, that might be true, but still they all could be innocent. So the President has decided their fate without trial, which is a rare, but common practice by the President.

“The other day, I was in Kalerwe and the youth there were complaining of the Police arresting them for being “idle and disorderly”. This must stop completely. Some of the youth are idle because they do not have jobs. Why arrest them for that? The revolutionary should be like “fish in water”. A revolutionary should never be “fish in no water”” (Museveni, 2017).

As seen how the Police are working there are reports and studies on the subject, as the Police are the long-hand of the regime under the President. This can be quoted by: “One sub-county official explained that the activities of crime preventers are handled at the village level and news of them doesn’t reach his office, while another said they are too informal to discuss in a semi-structured interview with me. What happens in the village is not of concern, so long as it is not organized violent crime or resistance to the government. Although security groups are framed as local responses to local problems, the government retains the right to intervene and police their activities, frequently making arrests in relation to groups’ night patrols, the degree of force they employ and the appropriateness of their involvement in interpersonal conflicts” (Tapscott, 2017). So the are local policing that are framing the locals. These seems like the ones the President are talking about. Just similar stories even made the Police themselves in April 2017: “Tools like pangas, hammers and pick axes were provided to carry out their missions. The suspects also said that, the many youths were collected from parts of Kawempe Kalerwe Namugoona among others areas specifically to break into houses and once you were in the gang there was no way out. The IGP said criminals have used crime to be a business venture, and after the tension caused by these goons the police has taken action, and over 100 arrested and 50 appeared before court. Since then areas of Masaka are secure” (Uganda Police Force, 2017). So there apparently gangs, that are idle and unemployed as well. Certainly, there could be incidents where the police detain and arrest youths as a way of extorting them, since the payment for being a Police Officer in Uganda isn’t that splendid. This has been reported a lot of times and stories been told on the social media from all parts of Uganda.

“The issue of alleged torture by the Police, was addressed by myself in the usual NRM/NRA way. We always combine educational methods (sensitization) and administrative methods (punishments, demotions, etc,). When these reports came up, I carried out analysis of torture and how it, actually, impedes successful investigations. That is a very powerful message because it addresses the whys and the why-nots of an issue. It addresses the “Policeman of the mind” rather than just the “Policeman of the body”. I saw some NGOs and allied persons pouring scorn on my methods and recommending only fascist methods of arrests and imprisonment without education. Could these “experts in-everything” tell us why the UPDF is able to operate in Somalia, Central African Republic, Congo, South Sudan, etc. without complaining? Is it because of high pay or fear of imprisonment? Do these “know-it-alls” remember that our Army is a volunteer Army? Do they know that one can make much more money in the private sector than in the army? it, actually, impedes successful investigations. That is a very powerful message because it addresses the whys and the why-nots of an issue. It addresses the “Policeman of the mind” rather than just the “Policeman of the body”. I saw some NGOs and allied persons pouring scorn on my methods and recommending only fascist methods of arrests and imprisonment without education. Could these “experts in-everything” tell us why the UPDF is able to operate in Somalia, Central African Republic, Congo, South Sudan, etc. without complaining? Is it because of high pay or fear of imprisonment? Do these “know-it-alls” remember that our Army is a volunteer Army? Do they know that one can make much more money in the private sector than in the army? Let the “know-it-alls” be informed that the UPDF does what it does because of conviction. Okunyonyora (to explain, to sensitize) has been the life and blood of Fronasa, of the NRA, of the UPDF. To end this point, be informed that Uganda is free of war and it will remain so and the spike in lawlessness is being defeated even before we fill all the gaps and will be totally defeated when the gaps are filled” (Musveni, 2017).

The NRM Way are clearly not a healthy one, even if this is reported through the wits of NGO’s who know’s to much and cannot be trusted. This is what the President himself said. Because the UPDF are such wiseguys, since they are there voluntarily, But here is some quick reports of the torture, that has been also rampant part of the security organizations at places like Nalufenya. So this has been a discussed theme, but show’s the part of how the State in Uganda uses the Police Force and also other organizations in oppressive behavior.

Like these two reports: 

“In similar fashion, presently, there is the recruitment of persons, undergoing rigorous training for purported legal purposes. Under the auspices of the Uganda Police, ‘crime preventers’ are being recruited and trained, ofcially, to fght crime.14 However, a critical assessment of this group reveals that it is a band of civilian vigilantes recruited by the government aimed at intimidating or reducing support for the political opposition through illegal means, including torture” (Chapter Four, P: 13, 2016).

“Various reports indicate the following as some of the patterns of torture in Uganda.

i) Being held incommunicado – where a person is arrested, detained and no access is allowed and no opportunity to communicate with other people.

ii) Extra-judicial executions – where suspects are executed without going through the due process of law and in most cases where they lack sufficient evidence on a case.

iii) Threats and intimidation through text messages and phone calls.

iv) Enforced disappearance – where a person is arrested in context of terrorism and treason suspects then disappears with trace and explanation.

v) Cases of rape by government and rebel forces during the conflict in Northern Uganda” (ACTV, P: 21, 2015).

This is just the sensitization and the NRM way of torture, that is well-known, so when the President speaks so found of his army. I have a hard time believing him or trusting his words. Seems more like promising words and praising of UPDF. Since it solves everything, the Operation Wealth Creation are even parts of the UPDF. That should make you think and also consider the places of the army. Since the army and police force aren’t only there for security reasons, but also for political reasons. That is why the President has to praise the army.

I think this is enough for now! Peace.

Reference:

African Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (ACTV) – ‘THE SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS ON THE PREVALENCE OF TORTURE IN UGANDA’ (November 2015)

Chapter Four – ‘Free Expression and Assembly in Peril ahead of 2016 Polls’ (2016)

Tapscott, Rebecca – ‘The Government Has Long Hands: Institutionalized Arbitrariness and Local Security Initiatives in Northern Uganda’ (06.03.2017) link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dech.12294/full

Uganda Police Force – ‘MASAKA, KAMPALA CRIMINALS GANGS HAVE CONFESSED’ (24.04.2017) link: http://www.upf.go.ug/masaka-kampala-criminals-gangs-confessed/

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni – ‘State of The Nation Address’ – Republic of Uganda, Kampala (06.06.2017)