By MERCY NALUGO
Posted Thursday, November 28 2013 at 02:00
A baton-wielding police officer chases people at Kisekka Market on Monday. MPs, rights activists and civil society have condemned police brutality. Photo by Abubaker Lubowa
The parliamentary Human Rights Committee said yesterday that it has summoned the minister of Internal Affairs and the Inspector General of Police, saying it could no longer remain quiet as “people’s rights are being trampled upon”.
Growing condemnation
Generals Aronda Nyakairima and Kale Kayihura, respectively, were initially expected to appear before MPs today afternoon, committee chair Jovah Kamateeka told journalists at Parliament.
“We wrote inviting them to appear before us [on Thursday] but they called me and they have confirmed they would appear on Tuesday next week. They have also put the commitment in writing,” Ms Kamateeka said.
Her committee now joins other MPs, human rights defenders, Buganda Kingdom, civil society and the law fraternity which have all denounced the police for perpetrating the violence which unfolded at the city authority on Monday.
At a press conference held at Parliament, other committee members also demanded that both the minister and police chief apologise to Ugandans for the misconduct of security agencies.
Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze called for whoever was involved to be held personally accountable for their actions.
“James Ruhweza should also appear before this committee and tell us why he ordered his officers to assault MPs, arrest the lawyer and beat up people. He should not walk away scot-free,” Ms Nambooze said yesterday.
Mr Ruhweza, the Kampala South regional police commander, led the operation that saw Lukwago’s lawyer, Abdullah Kiwanuka, manhandled, beaten up and bundled onto a police patrol vehicle.
He was accosted when he tried to deliver a court order stopping city councillors from meeting to impeach Mr Lukwago on Monday.
Ms Kamateeka said the committee expects both an explanation about the rampant abuses committed by the Force and an assurance that brutal arrests will not continue.
“We are deeply saddened and we condemn in the strongest terms possible, the way Mayor Erias Lukwago and some of his supporters were manhandled. We have tried to tell police to work within the confines of the law but instead, they are manhandling people,” said Ms Kamateeka.
Another councillor was also roughed-up and dragged out of the City Hall chamber by uniformed police and plain-clothed individuals believed to be security personnel deployed at the Authority on Monday.
A number of people, including opposition leaders are similarly known to have faced the wrath of the police in the aftermath of Monday’s dramatic events at City Hall.
“The role of the police should have been to check persons entering KCCA and examine whether they would not pose a security threat for the meeting but if you can manhandle a respectable lawyer, how about an ordinary person? People will begin to wonder how police operates,” said Ms Kamateeka, adding that “the police should be mindful of the dignity of other Ugandans”.
“We want them to assure us what measures they have put in place to ensure that the police adheres to the law,” she added.
Separately, Ms Kamateeka said her committee is going to ask the Speaker of Parliament why an ad hoc committee report on police brutality has never been discussed by the House.