It’s been two days since the 53rd Independence Day in Uganda. Yesterday was a day of mayhem from the Police against the political party of FDC. They trashed the cars and sent people who were going to the event in Rukungiri. On the road in the Greater Masaka area DPC Maximal Ogwang even put metal trenches to stop the cars. The pictures from yesterday tell its tale. The FDC people that had issues with the police and also got into trouble because of their travels was Hon. Godfrey Ekanya, Hon. Patrick Amuriat, Fred Turya, Dr. Kizza Besigye, Hon. Amuriat Semujju and Hon. Kevina Taaka.
In Rukungiri this led to arrests of unnamed people who were a part of the organization who was setting up the equipment for the event and arrangement. DPC Wotwali just followed ordered from up high.
The day before the NRM had issues in another district. This after the NRM-Regime got in trouble with vote rigging. “Supporters of Mr Benon Matsiko Kyampa, who was contesting for NRM flag for Ngarama LC3 top seat stormed the sub-county headquarters where they abandoned their party cards protesting poll results announced by the sub-county registrar, Mr Robert Baingana, in favour of Mr Silver Kiiza”. This led to even rubber bullets and agony in the district. So the way the police is used to quell issues is really a pattern. Which lead to this: “The deputy RDC Isingiro, Mr Damiano Turyatunga, said they will investigate why police fired bullets and will ensure calm is restored in the area” (Mugume, 2015).
But let me go back to the troubles of the FDC:
And he did this because of this:
Press Release and Letter from the IGP Kale Kayihura
Later on the day the FDC men got released from the prisons they we’re put in. The worst was seeing the pictures of Fatuma Zaina was put on a truck and undressed in a display from the police that isn’t justified anywhere in the world.
In Rukungiri the people who were supposed to attend even went to the Police station to get the people freed from custody. The reports I have has said that even the people was jailed where freed after the reactions from the people in the town.
In the same time as this happen to the opposition the President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni said this in Gulu:
“It is that if the country is going into election, some ‘people’ threaten violence, Uganda has long passed that kind of nonsense that portrays backwardness” (…)”I thought in elections you just talk and convince people, but in any case you want to cause violence, we also know how we shall deal with you because we shall not tolerate it” (Makumbi & Ocungi, 2015).
So the actions happening in the rest of the country towards the FDC is in his own words backwards. IGP Kale Kayihura has gone back in time and dropped the knowledge of oppressive behavior and misuse of the Public Order Management Act (POMA). That is because the President himself must fear the power of the FDC since he even gets the DPC to destroy the cars of they have.
To an extent yesterday the Danish Ambassador of Uganda had to go to the police and got Dr. Kizza Besigye and other FDC members out of prison. That tells the dire straits of the lawfulness. The Police of Uganda even drove him back to Kampala after the incidents on the road from Rukugiri. The same day after similar incident his own car was towed to Lyantonde. Where it surely still is sitting since the Police destroyed and trashed a few cars likes of Hon. Ekanya and Hon. Wafula.
Today this Sunday the 11th October there been report that the once who got the FDC leaders out of prison in Lyantonde has themselves ended up in cells there. This people are FDC chairman in town Yusuf Matovu, Woman’s secretary of town Yudaya Naiga and Chairman of the Town-Council Richard Kayondo. The DPC in the area must be irritated man and need some love!
The brutality and sadness of reporting this! But somebody got to show the suspect behavior that continues into a brutality that is inhumane. The way they crashed the cars and undressed a certain FDC woman is insane!
Kizza-Besigye said”It’s very clear that the NRM and Museveni Police and Electoral Commission are intent on denying the opposition a chance fair chance to compete. This further underlines the fundamental importance of fighting for political reforms. It further shows why we must have a defiant campaign”.
I also will show back to something I even wrote a time back. Read this:
President Yoweri Kaguta Musveni Campaign of Fear
The must be a change from the Police and NRM-Regime. The way the FDC political leaders, men and woman of the political party treatment are dire and sadden. Nothing about the recent events is about justice and rule of law. IGP Kale Kayihura and his DPC have taken the levels of bullishness to another level.
What happen on the road and convoys of FDC personnel is just astonishing. The way the cars and upon cars with police in Rukungiri and the way they shut it down was insane. The warnings and arguments from the IGP is misuse of the POMA law. Amama Mbabazi must be sad the way he argued for the law a few years back.
Refering the POMA as this: “A short trip back in history will show that the POMA was designed in the heat of the Walk-to-Work (W2W) protests led by opposition leader Colonel Kizza Besigye. Besigye has thrice stood against President Museveni, with the latest controversial poll on 18 February 2011 being won by the incumbent. In a broad sense, the POMA can therefore be referred to as the ‘Anti-Besigye Act’ or the ‘ABA’, as it was clearly designed to tighten the grip of the Police and security forces in the wake of the protests which rocked the country in the aftermath of the election” (…)”Secondly, the ABA/POMA places an inordinate degree of discretionary power in the police, and specifically in the inspector general. This is obviously problematic because it makes the IGP prosecutor and judge in his own case, violating basic principles of natural justice. Thirdly, the law gives lower-ranking police officers the perfect excuse not to take action which supports human rights. Rather, they are encouraged to curtail them. Hence, the first words out of the mouths of officers charged with breaking up an opposition demonstration are: ‘I’m (simply) acting on orders from above’” (Oloka-Onyango, 2014).
POMA is used as the Anti-FDC law and give the token to Police to cross all levels of human dignity to against the opposition. The way this weekend has unfolded and the way the words has been said. Justice it’s not. Dignity isn’t something the NRM-Regime is showing to the world. The way and run up to the election will be violent. Not because the Opposition is gripping and being violent. It’s because the Ugandan Police Force is using rubber bullets, tear-gas and undressing woman in broad daylight. Also trashing cars and showing it’s true color. Museveni isn’t a man who can be proud of his loyal cronies. Since the actions are just dire and sad. The grips of power are now put into a state where the state is using the force and laws in ways that shouldn’t have occurred. This will light the fire of the opposition and give more energy to the struggle against the NRM-Regime. Not because the Opposition is always right. But because the NRM-Regime is so wrong and acting so insincere. There no justice in the vile attempt to secure peace.
The IGP Kale Kayihura and Yoweri Kaguta Museveni need a reality check. The recent events happen on their watch and the world is watching. People like me won’t accept that. Peace.
Reference:
Mugume, Chris – ‘Residents throw away NRM cards over vote rigging’ (09.10.2015) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Residents-throw-away-NRM-cards-over-vote-rigging/-/688334/2905272/-/pmw73q/-/index.html
Makumbi, Cissy & Ocungi, Julius – ‘No violence in 2016 election – Museveni’ (11.10.2015) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/No-violence-in-2016-election—Museveni/-/688334/2907504/-/4chm5c/-/index.html
Oloka-Onyango – ‘Understanding the genesis and impact of recent legislation in Uganda’ (05.01.2014) link: http://www.pambazuka.net/en/category.php/features/91567/print
MinBane 