Uganda: Majambere Kamuntu Semakula Ivan letter to Uganda Human Rights Commission – Request to Facilitate for my Asylum to United States of America (U.S.A) – (17.11.2022)

National Unity Platform: On the Ridiculous Statements by Uganda Police and Uganda Human Rights Commission on the Incidents at late Comrade Jakana Nadduli’s Funeral (27.10.2022)

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

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

Dr. Kizza Besigye’s advice for termination of the NRM!

If you ever want the clear advice to bring down the dictatorship of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who now acts and lives like he owns the Republic Uganda. Than if you want to get rid of that and want to use the advice of Forum for Democratic Change founder and former Presidential Candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye. Than his words and inspirational words should be for you. He explains the whole story and the whole theft of the state and how it was built around the President. How Museveni has taken all the institutions and the state is embedded with him. But that we already knows, therefore I have taken the part that people should listen to and use. The true defiance and defy the Museveni state, so that there are possible a peaceful transition from his rule. Where the state doesn’t belong to Museveni or the Movement, but to the people. The Citizens has a government who cares about delivery and not if Museveni get an expensive enough airplane or helicopter. Take a look!

Outtake from the Press Conference of Dr. Kizza Besigye today:

“Regardless of what the regime does, the people of Uganda are definitely closing in to take back their power and embark on a TRANSITION to a new dispensation.

The NRM/Museveni Junta has no legitimacy to amend the Uganda Constitution as it’s planning to do. This will be an activity of the TRANSTION PROCESS.

Immediate task: Termination of the NRM/Museveni Junta:

The following needs to be done to terminate the Junta’s control of our country:

1) Intensify the “awakening campaign”, for most Ugandans to become active in the processes of achieving a transition. Everyone has a role to play in achieving this.

2) Forming activist networks to make it possible to act together and to be coordinated.

3)Everyone seeking a democratic transition should take deliberate actions, individually or in concert with others to disempower and break down the Junta. Each one’s actions, however small, contribute significantly towards the desired change.

4) Public servants, including those in the security and military are called upon to join the struggle for democratic transition.

5) In coordination with other political and civil society formations, we’ll soon start various activities that will disempower and bring the, now fragile, Junta to an end.

The transition:

A transition process will start when the Junta ceases the control of the state- either, through popular actions or a dialogue process.

The key activities of the transition period are:

1) Government of National Unity.

2) A comprehensive review of the Constitution.

3) Rebuilding State institutions to ensure transparency in recruitment and a national character, a high standard of performance and public accountability; non-partisan character; high standard of discipline and professionalism etc.

4) Truth telling, justice and reconciliation.

5) Free and Fair elections” (Dr. Kizza Besigye, 11.07.2017).

The acts of defiance and trying to coordinate the powers to be. Make the state dissolution over the citizens who doesn’t act upon the oppressive measures dropped by the central government. That they does what they can locally to make changes to the state. This done in demonstrations and stop using the state based operations that makes the NRM regime so rich and can rig themselves into power. That they follow a leadership similar to Besigye and other who trying to dismantle the Presidency. For the simplest reason of getting democracy and getting rid of the dictatorship of Museveni. These words of Besigye should be seen as the guidelines for the patriots and the ones who wants the Republic run by elected men, and not selected men by the NRM. This is how it is now.

The NRM acts like they own the nation and the state, the State is controlled from the State House and the orders are from there. There aren’t anything done without the State House involved, that isn’t a healthy state. That is a Banana Republic and an undemocratic state where one-voice control it all. There is time for change, it has been a long time for change. This cannot only be done by the freedom fighter Besigye, but has to happen by the will and acts of the people. The people have to say, enough is enough. The impunity, the theft and the ignorance of needs of the people is enough. Time to stand-up and be together in the struggle for just ice, liberty and accountability. For a regime who wants to deliver government services and also give taxation with representation. Something that isn’t done now by this government and the President. 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)

Deliberately without thinking, Mwenda ‘spilled the beans’ of the NRM Police State!

It takes to two to tango, and it takes many hands to destroy a community, but it does not take many to usher in policies. Therefore, in the mix of Ugandan politics and with time the Police has added significance, as the IGP Kale Kayihura has many times told how to hold consultant meetings and even been teaching journalist how to do their jobs. This is in the effort to stifle the opposition and their mission to prove their viable candidates over the only man with a vision. Mr. President, His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, he who Kayihura is so loyal too. So certainly, the Independent and Mwenda without thinking in his praise of the political police sessions and the use of the Police Force to either create an unlawful arrest, harass them and even obstruct political dissidents in their rallies. Let’s take the words of Mwenda himself for a minute.

“Hence, Kayihura’s most critical role has been to transform the police into an arm of the NRM. He secured for Museveni the loyalty of a major security institution that had been independent of NRM politics, hence reducing the role of the army in quelling protests. Kayihura did for Museveni what Central Bank governor, Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile did for IMF. Mutebile converted Museveni into a free market ideologue, thereby turning a Marxist revolutionary into an agent of imperialism” (…) “This masterstroke significantly shrunk the role of ISO and CMI in the soft game of consolidating Museveni’s power. Kayihura’s success here has come at the price of reduced emphasis on criminal investigations, hence negatively impacting the rate of its professional development in the force. However, overall Kayihura’s strategy has bolstered the position of the Uganda police politically, making it a powerful centre of power” (Mwenda, 2017).

The thing that strikes me and should strike anyone who cares about justice or free and fair policing. Is that he is saying it is a good thing, that the Police Force is embedded with the ruling regime. The development under IGP Kayihura is so that the Police get better control because they work directly for the NRM. Not that Police works for the Ugandans or after its supposed constitutions and laws, but for the mercy of the NRM. That is unique and shows how oppressive the mind of Mwenda has become. If not he has become subdued by the NRM and is now the grand apologist.

This sentence should boggle anyone with a sound mind: “Kayihura’s success here has come at the price of reduced emphasis on criminal investigations”, well Mr. Mwenda is not the Police Force supposed to catch criminals and do criminal investigations. Certainly, if it was an arm of a Political Party it would have other functions, but the UPF or Police Force are supposed to solve criminal activity and monitor that. They should not need to look and see, if Olara Otunnu are buying cassava, Norbert Mao feeding his chickens or be part of the convoy of Jennifer Musisi. That is just me though. Peace

Reference:

Mwenda, Andrew – ‘THE LAST WORD: Why Kayihura remains IGP’ (22.05.2017) link: https://www.independent.co.ug/last-word-kayihura-remains-igp/2/